Granger Gab

Moving…

2010-10-10T20:38:00.001+03:00

Silence on this blog was owing to me being busy doing up my new abode.

Update your RSS Feeds/Google Reader Feeds and hop over to my new home – www.grangergab.com

Swiss Chronicles –Zermatt Matterhorn

2010-09-19T22:11:00.001+03:00

Did you ladies have doll houses when you were young? The ones which had all the tiny rooms with miniature furnishings and people inside. My mother would set up my corner during Diwali. The dolls all decked up and arranged, all the toys- cars, train and buses around and then in the centre the little doll-house – flowers adorning its porch and strings of mini bulb-light on the outside walls.

When I entered Zermatt – I was reminded of my little doll house and that corner in my house. The mini-roads, the wooden houses not more than 3-4 storied-high, colourful flowers hanging out of each balcony,a small stream flowing in between, cycles zooming past, mini-buses, small electric cars and cabs.

Zermatt is a car-free zone. It only has electric buses and electric cars. They look like toys! The bus can seat about 10-12 people but at one time was holding 20 odd people with 3 huge dogs. The biggest of those dogs was right near my seat and kept sniffing at my feet, turning around and then hitting my feet with his huge tail! The freaking experiences on this trip looked like they would never end.

I’m not an animal person and the mere site of that huge dog scared me so bad – that not once did I turn my head towards the huge creature! The breed was this one and trust me it looked double the size shown in the picture. I must confess though that the breeds of dogs I saw in Zermatt made me fall in love with them. They all looked so royal and magnificent.

Zermatt is a small village in the Swiss Alps and is famous for one of the highest peaks in the Alps – The Matterhorn.

Unfortunately it was raining the days we were in Zermatt and we could not get to the Klein Matterhorn. It is the highest peak in the Alps that can be reached by the cable-ways. There is no way to reach the real Matterhorn and cable ways are constructed till the smaller peak known as Klein Matterhorn.

We went mid-way to Schwarzsee Paradise and were witness to one of the most beautiful displays of nature. The snowy peaks, the clouds afloat, the green mountains, rains, bright sun and a rainbow! A rainbow that lasted 20 odd minutes! Blessed!

The family inn we lived in was at the foot of the Matterhorn. When the sun came out in the evening, we finally witnessed the woman in white:-)

European Oddities

2010-09-16T20:06:00.001+03:00

Learnt to speak slowly when communicating with the local Deutsch speaking people! I’m too fast and they are too slow:-(

I’m all for conserving water but seriously no water jets in toilets? You think paper is more clean over water and that is conserving natural resource? BAH!

Why do they serve bland Indian food in our 5-star restaurants citing that westerners can’t handle spicy food. We went to 4 Indian food joints on our trip and all served nice spicy food. It was not made specially for us – the hotel owners told us that the local people loved it that way!

The Europeans enjoy our Indian Thalis not just the butter chicken and naan!

By default the first communication happens in their mother tongue and then they switch to English seeing your blank face. (We in our country first speak English and are not even well-versed with our mother tongues. Guilty party and makes me feel ashamed!)

Beer and alcohol is had at all times of the day at all places – markets, railway stations, underground shops,everywhere! I did not see any drunk, rowdy, misbehaviour on my entire trip – why do we in India and Middle East make a big deal about alcohol!

Europe is to be seen by road or railway travel – only then can you experience the ethereal beauty of this place.

Anyone will go out of their way to guide a tourist – irrespective of the country you are in or the nationality you possess.

Saw a lot of elderly/old people on our travels – they are amazingly independent, still go on treks with their walking sticks, love to talk and have a terrific zest for life! (Why do we make a big deal about expecting our kids to be with us all the time?)

For the first time on our journey, saw beggars as those in India in Vienna.

My sis in UK often jokes that in London we are still living in the 1800s! What she says is true – the cities, the houses look as if they have been preserved for ages. That is where lies the beauty of this place I think – preserving tradition. (Don’t you get a lovely feeling when you walk along the Fort Area in Mumbai – I wish the entire city was as beautiful – there is a different charm to it.)

Breakfast is pretty lousy unless you enjoy cold cuts! Most times I struggled with bread and butter alone! But awesome breads, even better ice-cream and lovely coffees!(A European couple remarked to me that Indian breakfast was the best – swelled with pride)

Did not adapt to the famous “fondue”, simply did not – the smell prevented me from trying it:-( But again I’m not great at experimenting so don’t get biased by my opinion.

Went on an art tour in Austria! I did not know the palace only stocked art paintings. Most kids in school are petrified of Maths, for me it was drawing and art. I could never understand it – even then, even now!

I’ve a fascination for public transports so I’m now a natural fan of entire Europe. Amazing systems – trains, trams, buses. Who needs a taxi! Enjoyed the tram rides the most. (Why did they shut those down back in Mumbai:-()

Walk and cycle is the motto of every place we visited. Never realised walking could be this fun!

Every city you visit has an old town, a famous shopping street (at most times named Bahnhofstrasse), a lake or river, a boat cruise, a walking tour, baroque and gothic architecture, a fortification wall, a hill, a famous bridge and a famous church.

Realised that population is the only reason the places are clean and systematic. (Admire India even more for dealing with the unmanageable population and still surviving, I’m sure these countries would have a terrible time if they had the kind of population that we do!)

The place makes you fall in love and you keep wanting to get back. I’ll be back again – to visit the remaining famous places.

P.S: The chronicle series for the remaining places will continue! Vacation has ended so decided to put up this post first!

Swiss Chronicles : Mt. Pilatus

2010-09-15T21:33:00.001+03:00

The way we planned our Swisstrip – it was more of a peak scaling trip for us with 4 peaks on the radar, and therefore Pilatus could not be missed.

Now what was the novelty in Mt. Pilatus when we had already visited Mt.Titlis? An alps peak again, snow probably and aerial cableway; well there was one novelty – the Cog Wheel Train ride up the mountains from Alpanchstad to Pilatus Klum on a slope of gradient average 28%!

The little red toy train looks cute from afar – only when you sit inside do you realise you are on ride of a lifetime! As it climbs up the mountain on narrow rail track, steep valley on the side, high mountain range on the other, turning across angles, the sights below diminishing, it leaves you in awe of the people who invented and devised this little beauty.

The train takes you right to the top. Unfortunately, no snow at the top but the view as magnificent as that from Titlis. Strong wind blowing and a hot cup of coffee atop the mountain -the perfect way to begin your day.

On the way back we took the aerial cableways – fortunately these did not halt mid-way! We took a break at the middle-station Frakmunteg to have our early lunch. It was my no non-veg day, so I stuck to good old french fries as I watched MDH eat a scrumptious chicken dish!

Pilatus trip was a swift one and less tiring as we reached pretty early before the crowds came along!

These 2 peaks seem popular sites for Indian tourists – caught loads of them, for a second it got me wondering if we were back in Dubai or Mumbai!

2 peaks struck off our list – 2 more higher ones remained. We were off to our next destination – the little village called Zermatt.

P.S: See that house in the last picture – we caught a shot on our way down from the cable car – add that to my list of “must have a house like that someday”

Swiss Chronicles - Lucerne

2010-09-12T19:51:00.001+03:00

How many places make you feel at home the moment you step into them, give you a feeling that you might belong here and embrace you with their warmth.

Lucerne is among those few places. You travel for about 45 minutes by train from Zurich to reach Lucerne. The place is beautiful – a lovely mix of tradition and modernity and just about the right size. A place where you will not feel lost. Like most Swiss places, this too is surrounded by the lake Lucerne.

The old Chapel Bridge stands across this lake as the guardian of the city. People storm numerous Swiss restaurants along the quiet Rathausquai on the shores of the lake. Getting together with family & friends after a hard day’s work, drinking beer, eating meat,watching the kids play with the swans on the banks of the lake. As you walk along the Chapel Bridge, the sound of a violin soothes your ears and you find a few street artists display their talent. If it weren’t for the impatient me, MDH would’ve spent the entire evening on the bridge in the middle of the lake listening to the violin tunes. Which place in the world offers such a picturesque view of a city life.

As you cross the bridge and head towards Bahnofstrasse you come to the view the modern side of this city. Buzzing with shops of the biggest brands, several restaurants,fast food joints, plus hotels, youngsters hurrying up along the road and people returning home from the main station. The hustle-bustle of the city is restricted to this street alone.

The next day we walked to the famous Museg Wall. This is along a residential street behind the Old Town. Lots of homes adorn this stretch. 3 towers of this wall are still open to public viewing. A clock on one of the towers has been set to chime a second before all other city clocks at every hour.

We strolled down the hill to hit the main city road Lowenplatz and headed towards the famous Lion Monument. Mark Twain described this monument as the most sad and moving sculpture he had ever seen. He was right,the Lion sits in a sombre mood marking the sacrifice of Swiss Guards in 1792 during the French Revolution.

We walked back and sat down in one of the city squares – viewing the people and sights all around. I don’t recollect MDH and I doing this in a long while; just sitting quietly in the midst of a city square and enjoying the buzz around us. Families came with their kids, youngsters sat down to have a quick snack, old people came down to relax. It was great to see people take time out and relax. The city offers many such spots in every nook and corner.

It had been been 4 days in Swissland and I was craving for some good old simple Indian food. Yeah call me typically Indian, hunting for Indian food in foreign land. I was a veggie that day and bread-butter is not my ideal meal! Luckily we found an Indian restaurant close to the Lion Monument and I treated myself to a nice wada-sambar while MDH feasted on spicy fish! He gets fairly irritated with me cause he believes one should taste the country specialities once we are visiting a new place! But sigh, I cannot control my food cravings and somehow figure out a way to pacify them:-)

The best part of our 2-day stay in this city was the location of our hotel and the fact that this place encourages walking. The tourist centre lady told us not to bother with any travel card and just walk along to the old town! The weather was perfect and we enjoyed our evening strolls around the city.

The buildings and the roads reminded me of Mumbai’s Babulnath, Gamdevi area. I spent my school years there and always loved the stone buildings and quiet lanes covered with trees.

Lucerne brought back some lovely memories!

Swiss Chronicles – Mt. Titlis

2010-09-09T23:15:00.001+03:00

Do you have dreams? Pleasant dreams, happy dreams, dreams that bring a smile to your face. I’m not talking about big ones – the one about the dream house by the lake or beach, or driving a Rolls Royce, or travelling in your own private jet, or hoping someday you’ll be sitting by GOD’s side discussing your favourite game!

I’m talking of the small meaningless ones, the little wishes – like wanting to hold the snow in your hands after reading C&H Books and Archie comics.

A dream that remained a dream cause you spent a quarter of your life in the humidity of Mumbai and were never able to visit the Himalayas or up north of your country. Then having shifted base to a desertland, the dream seemed further impossible, until you landed on the first of the 4 peaks you decided to visit in the Alps

A one-hour train to Engelberg from Lucerne and you were on the ride of your life to the one of the highest peaks in the Alps that can be reached by aerial cableways. Yes, that is the sole mode of transport to this place. Cable cars or Gondolas as they are more commonly known in this part of the world.

You change 3 different type of lifts to finally reach 3238 mts above sea-level to Mt. Titlis. On the way you encounter scenic sites as below

You get to have an Indian Buffet at their restaurant and head straight into the snow!

Yes I held snow in my hands for the first time in my life, I walked on it, I played in it and I got to throw a snowball! The feeling hasn’t sunk in and don’t think I’ll get over it anytime soon. Little dreams when they come true bring unbelievable happiness.

I’m scared of valley ranges and MDH made me get into this one while travelling to Glacier Park from Mt. Titlis!

As if it was not enough that we paid to be taken in covered Gondolas (which by the way stopped mid-air for 10-15 mins while returning back giving me the fright of my life) – I paid 12CHF i.e. approx Rs 600 for the most terrifying 5 mins of my life! You guessed it right, I was not thinking at all. That’s me in the picture holding on to my dear life! Freaking scary it was when I sat in an open air-lift. Freezing like crazy, fog all over, only open valley below my feet! I must’ve been out of my mind to sit – but I did.

Got back safe and sound – you must’ve guessed it from the fact that I’m putting up this blog post! I’m not doing it again ever in my life – one time was good enough!

As much as Mt. Titlis did not help me get over my fear of valleys – it did make my little dream come true and for that reason alone the place will remain special for the rest of my life!

Swiss Chronicles – Rhine Falls

2010-09-08T20:02:00.001+03:00

I’m petrified of water. I find it beautiful from afar. I never learnt to swim owing to this fear. I’ve still though managed to visit sea-shores, waterfalls and even go on creek cruises. I had no idea though of MDH’s way of helping me to get over my fear was to take me on a trip to the Rhine Falls.

It was not enough to see it from afar, we took a boat ride across the Rhine river and then to the rock above. We then climbed up the steep rock and were in the middle of no-where! The water sounds hitting our ears, the moistness all over. Nature has so many wonders to offer – it never ceases to amaze us! This was only the beginning of the wonders we were to experience on our “long” trip in this magical land.

I could not help but think of our very own Bhandardara Falls in Nashik. Yeah, so maybe we don’t get to go right in the middle of the falls as we got to at the Rhine but the scenic beauty remains almost the same!

Some snaps and video of the amazing falls and the rock bang in the middle of no-where!

Hear the water gush down the rocks as we take the boat ride towards the giant rock!

Swiss Chronicles – Zurich

2010-09-07T23:33:00.001+03:00

As the flight descended to this small town in Swiss land I could only see greenery around me – what a pleasant change from the barren Desertland that I live in.

The runaway of the small airport is surrounded by lush green fields. As the plane descended, I could see the lake, the waters running by, the cows grazing lazily, the bicycles pacing down on the slopes, and then the plane landed on what was supposed to be an airport!

Zurich airport seems smaller than the Mumbai Domestic airport. Less plush but more clean. If the small cities in India were kept as clean we too would be calling them heaven on earth.

The landscapes are beautiful no doubt, but I don’t see much difference between these and our land. The comparison is natural – the only question that comes to mind is if only our people valued the nature we are blessed with and took care of it. That is the basic difference – people here value their land, their riches are their nature and they treasure it.

Zurich is a busy city by European standards at least – you see loads of people rushing around in trams, buses, trains etc. The main station Zurich HauptBahnhof is buzzing throughout the day.

The best part of this place was though seeing people have beer during the day – for heaven’s sake coffee and beer costs the same! I almost felt guilty sipping coffee when I could take a taste of beer and wine. What a heaven for my friends who love beer! I couldn’t help but remember V – who loves beer( as you would guess from his blog title). If I could, I’d gift him a lifetime Swiss visa!

The people are warm and friendly. Everyone can make out a confused tourist and go out of their way to help them. The SBB – the main railway operator, has its offices at all stations and the staff there help you plan your journey, explain the cheaper options and ensure you are not cheated of your money. Yes, some are confused but that is rare. People smile at you randomly, talk to you about your experience. One lady was so touched when MDH offered his seat to her that till she got down she kept showering her blessings! We would have almost got onto the wrong train without a valid ticket had a lady at the platform not gone out of her way to help us! Yes I did encounter a rude lady but then I’d give her the benefit of the doubt of having to deal with million tourists a day at the Rhine falls.

I’m a huge fan of public transport – have often confessed this on the blog. I still get a bigger kick by travelling in a public transport than driving my own car! I lived 25 years in Mumbai without ever missing owning a vehicle – I missed that in Dubai. Any place that does not have a good public transport makes you lazy. You tend to walk less, your brains work less, you lose sense of time, you lose your “me” time,you become dependent, you tend to read less and you tend to crib more!

We did not feel the need to hunt for a cab despite the luggage we carried. There is a station at every airport which connects to the main city stations. You just hop on and hop off with the day passes you buy. The platforms, trains, escalators and elevators are well built to suffice for all – people with luggage, handicapped people, children and even pets! This place does not treat animals any differently from humans. Most restaurants and hotels permit animals and separate food trays are laid out for them. No public transport restricts people from boarding their animals onto it! Talk about equality – a lesson we all must learn.

There is not much to see in Zurich – the St. Peter’s Church, the lake Zurich, Uteliberg top of Zurich, the old town and the famous Bahnofstrasse. Our hotel was about 10 minutes from the central station with a tram line 2 minutes walk away which made it easier for us to move around the city. Bahnhofstrasse is buzzing until 7.30 and then it goes all quiet! All shops and restaurants shut down at 8.00!!! We were lucky to find a McDonald’s open!

The ride along Lake Zurich was mesmerising and made me envious of all the people who have their houses along the lake. The ride lasts one hour and takes you all over the town. I’m sharing some snaps with you all.

Look at the last picture – sigh don’t you wish someday you could live in house like that surrounded by nature!

The cancer returns?

2010-08-30T22:27:00.001+03:00

April 2000 was a black month in the history of cricket. The Hansie Cronje confession shook the foundation of the “gentleman’s game”. The spirit had been infected with greed. Few more names surfaced-Azhar, Jadeja, Salim Mallik, Gibbs, Boje. Pakistani cricketers of the likes of Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam, Anwar were warned. Life bans, endless investigations, court-room trials, jury decisions – cricket saw it all.

Cricket lost tons of fans that day. I know many friends – hard core cricket buffs, some players themselves at different levels, gave up watching the game. Players were under scrutiny, trust was lost, faith destroyed and punishments meted out.

A few fans though kept quiet; fans like me for whom cricket is almost a religion. You do not give up on religion and god that easily even though all may not seem right. You have been brought up to follow that path and you know no other. You grow up with a belief and you don’t let a few idiots destroy it in minutes. So you tell yourself to look beyond and search for those few to guard the sanctity of your religion. Things begin to improve and somewhere you get the feeling that the therapy is working and the cancer can be cleaned up.

And the therapy worked, or so we believed. What a fabulous decade we had. The game and the teams put rose above the scandal, and took steps to restore the hopeless fan’s faith. Young talents sprung up, Australia dominated, South Africa, England and India fought hard while Pakistan the most unpredictable of the lot, threw up talents like hot-selling cakes.

We had some unpredictable results, uncanny victories, underdogs triumphing and the game had regained its old beauty. We were back to shouting hoarse the age old adage, “Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties”. Then a friend of mine would say – Minal, I think the match was fixed”. I’d mouth of obscenities to him for being a disbeliever, doubter and a shame of a fan to the game. I did not want to believe that such a thing existed. The cancer was killed I was told all these years.

In the last few months, sporadic news came to light – the IPL match-fixing allegations,the Kaneria case. Nothing concrete emerged and we chose to ignore. Benign tumours, false alarms I told myself. If the game is running smooth, the media will find ways to disrupt the harmony for their TRP greed.

I ignored and chose to revel in the joy that the 2 As were bestowing on us fans. Not since the 2Ws have I seen such fine display of seam and swing from Pakistan. Aus and Eng were tottering against these two. Aamir is a genuine talent – all of 18 – he seemed like the blessing Pakistan was seeking all this while.

Pakistan has had an awful year in cricket – the SL attack, its aftermath resulting in sacking of Pakistan as the co-host of the 2011 World Cup matches and the elimination as a host to international tours. Amir and Asif with their fine bowling performances this summer in England had every cricket fan in the world swooning over them.

In a decade dominated by the batsmen, we fans were getting some fine glimpses of the future to come in Amir & Asif. The honours were in balance before the start of the 4th test and on the second day it almost looked like Pak might seal another series draw with Amir’s outburst of 6 wickets having stripped England to 102-7. Broad and Trott came together to play an epic fight back in the history of test cricket.

Pakistan lost the plot and Swann sealed it off England by dismissing them for 74 in the first innings. At 40-4 on the 4th evening , with the fans relishing the cricket dished out in the summer, this was not needed to be heard or read on a fine Sunday morning.

If proven guilty it will be tragic for Pakistan, for cricket and for us fans. Not only will we lose out on a prodigious talent but the doctors will declare that the cancer has not been eradicated and it will be time again for therapy.

I cannot understand what lures a player to sell his pride and his loyalty to the game, to his country , to his fan for a few green notes. You take us for granted – we the blind followers of this crazy religion. Our love does not give you the right to play with it and cripple it. There is enough money in the game today and yet the greed erupts – cause apparently nothing is enough.

Pakistan did not need this – not now when it was clearing up the demons of its torrid past. Amir and Asif looked good to put the team back on track and hunt down the top teams. They had sown the seeds of ambition in this young team. Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis would’ve been proud to see their legacy being protected and carried forward.

If guilty, they must pay – with a life ban. If you corrupt the game – you must not be allowed to comeback to it again. The team must be pulled up and Pakistan Board will need to do a lot of self-introspection before the country is allowed to play cricket again. This time the ICC must be harsh,no two thoughts about it. Cause if they let go this time, the cancer will not be contained and will spread like a virus.

If not guilty then they must be given all the support to get back the confidence and walk into the stadium with their heads held high.

Trust and faith are a tricky business. It takes years to build them up and a minute for them to breakdown. The fan today is seeking reasons – reasons to believe that this is one-off and has not tainted the entire game.

Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right. ~John Donne

And as cricket’s soul seeks her left hand for the cancer that has eroded her again, her right hand is pinching the left hand hoping to get up from what seems a never ending nightmare.

Random Cricket Conundrums – Answers Anyone?

2010-08-25T22:06:00.001+03:00

Why are people trying to analyze the “Sehwag” phenomenon? I would advise them DON’T BOTHER! If he could be explained he would not be Sehwag.

Why do television channels still have Charu Sharma and Manish Valicha as cricket anchors?

Once you have convinced me on the above, can you try the impossible ? Explain to me the business reason for having Arunlal as a commentator – he speaks Hinglish.

Why is Ravindra Jadeja still in the team? Why Why Why?

Do we as a team take pride in being consistently inconsistent? Is it too difficult to be disciplined in our approach to every match?

Has anyone else noticed the awful gap in our batting line-up sans Sachin and Gambhir? Sehwag has scored 40%+ runs of the team total in the entire tournament.

Did someone tell me that we play 7 batsman? I’ve so far heard only one man make all the runs, where are the rest? Gone for a nice swim in the Indian Ocean, or maybe not cause they are already struggling to stay afloat against swing and spin bowling!

If this is the team we are going to take to field 6 months from now, does anyone agree that Sachin’s dream of winning a world cup just might remain a dream?

Are there times in your life when you sleep through the boredom, the routine tasks, the monotonous chores? Do you get the the feeling that the Indian team is beginning to treat playing against SL in the same fashion?

I don’t find any motivation to watch SL & India compete against each other, do you often wonder how do they motivate themselves to play? Or maybe they don’t, which is why we get bundled out for just over 100!

Has anyone else realised that this Saturday is probably the 99999999 raised to nth time India will play SL and the 9999th time in the final? Excited – hell yeah –Damn you Kiwis! I’d rather utilize it more fruitfully by catching up on my weekend sleep!

Let go you curious cats…

2010-08-22T22:13:00.001+03:00

Has anyone of you had “friendship”break-ups?

Friends who became close in a short span of time, friends who pledged loyalty and faith for a lifetime; and when the testing times came showed clearly where their priorities lied.

Their choices made you sick to the stomach.

The friend in college who went behind your back just to become the popular one.

The friend who professed never-ending loyalty just to hurt you in a second

The husband’s bachelor friend who failed to stand up to his moody wife, easily forgetting the times you were his family when he was in this city leading a lonely life.

And finally the friend at your workplace who was your closest confidant, chose diplomacy and power hungry colleagues, refusing to support your stance.

I have let go – I hurt, I sulked and I wondered what I did wrong. Fact was I did not – this is how I’ve been all my life – no two faces from me. Frank and forthright is me.

I try not to hurt , and when I realise I do, I’m not afraid to say sorry. Friendships are not worth giving up over silly issues, egos and arguments. And if you chose not to understand me and the value of my friendhip, I decided to let you go. So be happy in the life you chose and let me go.

Stop being curious of what I’m upto in life, where I’m based,whether I’m doing well in my career or not, whether I’m married or single, whether I’ve kids, where I’m taking my vacation, what am I thinking and what I’m writing

You lost your chance to make up and be my friend again;had you realized your follies I would’ve forgotten and welcomed you with open arms back in my life. My friends have meant the world to me and I hate losing any – so you know you were not worth it when I’ve chosen to let go of you.

Now grow up and let go of me – you curious cats!

You can change your name but we decide what to do with it!

2010-08-17T19:27:00.001+03:00

So you change your name from the maiden name to the married name. You go ahead submit the necessary documents to the bank. You make a personal visit to the bank to verify everything so as to ensure there are no hiccups.

But then you see that the name has been amended on the account but not on the e-statement of the current account. The name has been amended on the credit card statement but not on the credit card itself.

So knowing things take time and maybe system updates could be the reason, you wait to see the changes. A month, two and more pass by, but nothing changes.

You pick up the phone and call the call-centre expecting a quick-fix but all that you get to hear is: “Madam you need to visit the branch personally with all your documents”. So much for phone and internet banking and efficient systems! Systems which show the name on account has changed but refuse to get it amended on the statement cause there is a separate team who handles the statements.

So the sarcastic devil within is dying to get out but you are aware these calls are recorded and put up a polite front.

And as if this misery was not enough, when the credit card is up for renewal and it is delivered to you a month and half in advance – you get it with your old name on it.

So knowing well the futility of the whole exercise, you get yourself to dial the call-centre for help. You check with them as to why was your name not updated on the card when it was done on the statement.

And you get a reply: Madam we decide what name to fit in cause your new name is too long!!

SIGH!!!

Cursed ???

2010-08-17T18:47:00.001+03:00

What if you realize you are cursed?

That you get bored too soon with things on platter, that you find a challenge no longer challenging, that it gets difficult to motivate yourself, that you know where your passion and love lies but cannot quit to make it work, that at times you wished you were not the brightest kid in the class so that there were less expectations of you, that you had just followed your gut and taken the easy way out than lived 8 years of you life surrounded by those wizards of oz,that most times that “I don’t care” attitude you put up is quite a facade,that you had not inherited the temper that runs in the family,that you are not able to give up the rebellious streak knowing it does much harm than good, that you constantly question the norm when others would rather you quietly tread on it, that you feel so petty thinking all the above thoughts when there are millions more who can never have even 0.001% of the lovely life you have enjoyed till date, that you keep failing yourself by not finding the courage to face things when you see a million inspirational people before you,that all that you do these days is be confused and write a blog post sounding as incoherent as it could be!

Rest in Peace Tejaswee

2010-08-14T22:05:00.001+03:00

I didn’t know you until I had read this last week. I know little of your mum from her inspiring blogs. I prayed hard for you to get well. I checked today for the update on you and did not want to read this.

I have seen death at close quarters – my father,grandparents,cousin, uncles. I’ve seen my aunt lose her beloved son (at an age little older than yours Tejaswee). 19 is not an age to die , it is supposed to be an age where you start living. I’ve hated God many a times before, and when I read IHM’s post today – I landed up hating him again. Why does he do this – take a child away before the parents? There is no telling what the parents go through when they lose their beloved child. It takes immense strength to overcome that grief and void.

It’s not easy for the ones who stay behind, your mum has shown her strength – but even though you are far away you need to be with her and shower that radiant smile on her always from above.

May you shine forever in your new world. IHM I’ve no words – you are a fine woman from the little I’ve known you. You are strong and we are with you in this hour.

Tejaswee – rest in peace sweet child. Your blog leaves behind your legacy – the childlike exuberance and the ladylike maturity – a fine reflection of your mom. You will be in memory forever.

Have you ever wished that people…

2010-08-11T20:32:00.001+03:00

Kept their egos aside and realised the value of relationships in life
Stopped being two-faced and had the courage to show their true colours
Appreciated intelligence and smartness over dumb ‘chamchas’
Had the courage to stand up for friendships over professional relationships
Got over their silly insecurities which would cost their loved ones their most treasured relationships
Realised that covering up for others mistakes will only worsen matters and drive away the perfect workers
Realised that basic courtesies in life are important and matter in all relations – personal and professional
Bought themselves a better upbringing for theirs sure did not do a great job
Just grew up!

The Story of My 2 Daughters

2010-08-10T19:09:00.001+03:00

I’ve never been a kids person that is MDH’s domain. I’m rather miserable at it honestly – I don’t know what to entertain them with after a point and how to take the conversation ahead.

Blame it on the fact that I’m one of the youngest among all cousins; and was the kid in the family for long until my nieces and nephews came along. I was 6 when my first niece was born and I did not identify with the concept of “aunt”. My nieces in the age-group of 18-24 are more like my sisters. While they were growing up I was never entrusted with any responsibility, I was their friend or sister. I pamper them like a sis would, not the way an aunt would.

I didn’t identify with what exactly they call “motherly” feeling until I met little “C”. My first neighbour in Dubai, my first family. C used to spend tons of hours at our place entertaining us with her newly found tales of wisdom, song recitals and dance performances. MDH was her best friend, I was her “Mavshi ( mom’s sis)”. When they moved back to Mumbai, MDH and I were left with a void impossible to be filled up again. Fortunately, her parents (P & A) live close to our place in Mumbai and there has not been a single time in our visits back home that we do not meet them and their little angel.

When she started her schooling, she’d wave out to me every morning as she waited for her bus. Not a day went by without our little ritual. Today I have her snap on my mobile - when my alarm goes off, it’s her smiling face that wakes me up every morning.

As P once told me, I treat you both like her second set of parents. So for me, C will remain my first daughter – the little angel who taught me to love:-)

You pine for someone for so long that when they arrive you don’t know how to react. That’s what happened when my Didi and Jiju’s little angel – Ira stepped into our lives. When I held the little one in my arms on day 1 – I was in complete awe of her. She was so special and she had brought million dollar smiles to the faces of everyone in my family. Didi is the first grandchild on my maternal side and hence her little one was always going to be the special one for all uncles,aunts and us cousins.

Ira is just 4 months old and growing up fast, I last saw her in June – all of 2 months. She has the most sweetest smile in the world, she makes me go weak in my knees. I miss her, I have her picture up on my desktop and the sight of her eases my tensions in office and brings back my lost smile. Yes she has that effect on me. I’ve a lovely video of her on my desktop, the one that MDH shot on his latest trip to India before Didi left for UK. Ira is crying, laughing, and yawning at the same time. I laugh and cry at the same time every time I see that video. When Didi sends me her latest snaps ( which I get after much pestering cause when it comes to updating my sis is pretty lousy), I land up getting all emotional and start crying – yeah my hormones are playing havoc! Ira is my second daughter:-)

I hate living abroad, I cannot hold my little angels and hug them when I miss them dearly. I can’t be part of their daily lives. All I get is telephonic or email updates and I will get to see them for a few hours/day every year. But I thank god, for blessing me with the presence of these two little wonders in my life.

When I have my kids, will anything change – Nope. I’m an only child but my mom has her two daughters – my Didi( Ira’s mom) and Tai (my paternal cousin) and similarly for me little C and Ira will always remain my 2 daughters for the rest of my life.

Say a little prayer for you…

2010-08-07T18:46:00.001+03:00

Over the last 3 weeks, we cricket geeks ( Definition: fans who love tests over ODIs and T20s) have been praying – silently ,vehemently and albeit very loudly that the boredom that had set in thanks to the first 2 tests between Ind-SL needed a miraculous recovery for us fans to retain our interest in the game.

And so god heard us – the man up there and the man on the field as well. The groundsman at P Sara Oval made a sensible wicket – one that assisted the bowlers to some extent. India for the first time in the series got SL all out. Sehwag bludgeoned the SL attack in quick time. Raina and the tail wagged to take a miniscule but psychological first innings lead. In the 3rd innings for the first time, India looked like a good bowling side when they had SL reeling at 87-7, and we fans almost started relishing the sight of India chasing a score between 100-120.

And that would’ve been still possible had we switched sides at that point and had the Aussies or South Africans bowling, but sadly it was the Indian team. Since SL had let our tail wag for 100 odd runs we needed to return the favour. I don't know which defensive snake bit Dhoni and he stopped attacking. No slips to Ishaant and field wide spread out. I didn’t quite understand what score were we defending? Samaraweera, the first innings’ century maker was allowed easy singles which not only helped boost the score but also allowed him to time to set in. Mendis came and rubbed further salt and so we were looking at chasing 250+ instead of 150.

Most of our top batsmen barring Dravid have a poor average in the 4th innings when compared to their overall average. The odds didn’t seem to favour us either, what with we having won only 4 times chasing 250+. So it almost seemed like the team had axed itself by choosing to go on the defensive. Losing 3 top order batsmen in the last session of day 4 did not help othe cause either.

When I glued in to the television today morning, I was worried that we might go defensive and lose the battle altogether. But fortunately Sachin and Laxman thought otherwise, and were positive from the word go. No one more than Sachin in this line-up stresses on the importance of singles and he along with Laxman got almost 50% runs in their partnership running singles. When he runs his singles, he makes you forget he is 37, he can beat those 20 year-olds hands down! And only he could’ve hit the ball between the wicketkeeper and first slip for a 4, when facing a crowded leg-side field and Randiv bowling spot on.

Laxman is lazy in the singles area, he is forgiven that minor flaw cause his game is otherwise flawless. He showed us again why he is very very special. Whether he drives on the off, pulls, flicks his wrists or delicately nudges for his singles – he amazes every time with the ease he plays his shots. Even with a back pain the guy makes the shot-making look so easy that even a non-player can be fooled into attempting the strokes.

Even after Sachin departed and still a good 80+ runs to get, Laxman maintained his cool. At the start I wondered what was going on in Raina’s mind, maybe and overdose of talk with Yuvraj led to him playing some senseless strokes. Luckily for him he did not lose his wicket and got back to the sensible, compact batting we had witnessed from him in his last 2 innings. Laxman got to his first test hundred in 4th innings. I heard commentators make statements such as this is his finest knock ever – people have poor memory. His best ever and by far the best ever by any batsman in the history of test cricket remains his 281 Vs Aus in Kolkatta in 2001. No one should dare make such statements again. It was a great knock but not the greatest given the opposition and the circumstances. Laxman will agree too that 281 will remain unparalleled in all aspects.

Raina sealed the win with a fine 6 – something he was itching to do since he had stepped onto the ground. Fortunately, we did not make the match tense and eased to the total.

Did anyone else think that the match presentation was as long as the last day itself? Man of the match, player of the match, stylish player, man of the series, and god knows how many!

We should’ve drawn the first match and ideally won the series, but a fight back is good and looks like the thought of losing the No 1 position is helping us in a positive way.

We are not the best no. 1 team. We won’t dominate any series till our bowling falls in place, and our batsmen stop struggling on pace as well as spinning tracks. At some point we need to play and dominate like the past no1 team – Aus did. Another huge worry is Dravid’s form, and before everyone goes about calling for his head – keep in mind the bench is not ready to take his place as yet. He should be back against the NZ series, if he fails there , then he needs to rethink about his future – until then let’s not jump the gun. I truly believe these players will know when the time is right and so let’s trust their gut feel.

On the other side of the world, Pak struggled against some fine swing bowling by the Poms and looks like all Gods are behind KP to get back to form.

Prayers are answered, test cricket is still alive! The boring ODI series begins but thank god for Eng-Pak series. Go Pommies – Aussies need some fright when you face them this summer!

Some random cricketing thoughts…

2010-08-04T20:33:00.001+03:00

While reading the chapter on SL-Aus infamous series of 94-95 series in “The One Who Will”, my brain hit the F5 key to Ponting’s debut. He entered the scene 5 years after Sachin did and has managed to catch upto 90% of Sachin’s batting performance in tests. He leads him on the catches front by a decent number 65+.

I do hate the guy from the bottom of my heart but looking at the statistics and his batting over the years I can’t but admire his prowess. It’s not often you can compete with a current player who has had a 5 year head-start.

Until Nov 2008, Punter was a mere 2 centuries behind Sachin but since then Sachin has raced ahead, increasing the difference to 9. I doubt Punter can make up that difference considering his form and the fact that if he loses the Ashes at home this year, he will most probably not make it to the test side again.

Inspite of the above and my hatred, I will continue to remain in a little awe of this man – for managing to almost catch up with GOD on-field.

Sehwag is the player in the current crop who might come close to these two; provided he lasts another 5-6 years and continues to play in the fashion he is playing today. By the very nature of his game, he looks good to make the most in tests than the shorter versions. The less we make a fuss about his careless attitude and not expect him to play the waiting game, the better it will be.

India finally managed to get SL all out this series. My belief that Bhajji has been an overrated bowler stands affirm.

There is nothing more exhilarating than watching Sehwag whack the ball out of the ground without moving his feet:-), there is nothing more enticing than watching GOD play his trademark drives and flicks and there is nothing more heart-wrenching than watching Dravid get out LBW in 2 consecutive matches on tracks where he should’ve devoured the bowling:-(

Where did the choreographer disappear?

2010-08-03T21:16:00.001+03:00

You hear a song on the radio before the video release and form a picture in your mind. A sequence of steps, the aerial lifts, the attitude and the surroundings where the song takes place. It keeps playing in your head for plenty reasons – the melody, the novelty, catchy beats, funky mood, hip style! And so you head to the theatre or await the video on television, but when you see the song you feel let down. Has this happened to you? Does it get you wondering where did the choreographer disappear for this one?

Here are a few songs I love and play often on my iPod but I hate to see their videos – I’d rather see the picturization in my mind.

1. Delhi-6 : Title Track

A. R Rahman can give all the hip-hop artists a run for their money. It’s a fantastic number sung very well by Benny Dayal, Blaze, Vivinenne Pocha, Claire and Tanvi Shah. There is so much one could do and convert it into a funky dance number; yet what does Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra give us? Abhishek Bachchan jogging around the streets of Delhi with his Motorola!

2. Rang De Basanti – Title Track

I haven’t heard another Bhangra number that can match this one – in terms of vocals (Daler Mehndi is mind-blowing) in terms of beats, in terms of the tune and the pace. The right mix to deal out one of the hardest and easily the most loved dances in India. But again Mr. Mehra ruins it – presents the song half as always and shows Aamir being tossed around by wrestlers!

3. Jab Se Tere Naina - Sawariyan

Such a soulful number and Shaan’s dreamy voice. Sanjay Leela Bhansali as the director and you imagine a magnum opus – million dancers and a shy Ranbir admiring the pretty Sonam decked up from top to bottom in the traditional finery. But what you get is a semi-naked thin Ranbir prancing around in a towel in his apartment making monkey faces!

4. Ae Paapi – Kismet Konnection

The song is perfect – Neeraj Shridhar lends the vocals for a hip-hop number and Shahid just sails through the song until danger hits in the form of Vidya Balan dressed in Red. Those couple of seconds just ruin what would’ve been among the top Shahid dance numbers.

5. Dil Kya Kare – Saalam – e – Ishq

This is one of my favourite romantic numbers. The right mix of pace, the soft latin beats, the melody and the voice of Adnan Sami – that makes you go hmmmm and drool! So you imagine that the lead romantic pair might get together for a salsa together and what we get is John and Vidya ( again!!!) travelling in a bus, at coffee shops, in office and at home while introducing the rest of the star cast. This is the most delightful numbers in the entire soundtrack and Nitin Advani wastes it on introducing the cast of the movie!

6.Uff Teri Ada – Karthik Calling Karthik

Yeah so the movie was a disaster. Deepika is a bad actress was proven again but I loved the soundtrack. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy rarely disappoint and Loy Mendosa’s daughter Alyssa did a swell job with the vocals on this one. On the lines of their previous numbers “Where’s the party tonight” and “It’s the time to disco”; one expects the choreography to get somewhere close but all we get after a hopeful start in the pub is Deepika and Farhan staring at each other’s faces! Talk about ruining a good beginning!

These just came to mind as I was listening to the playlist on my iPod – you got any more to add?

The One Who Will

2010-08-02T20:33:00.001+03:00

I’ve a dozen books piled up on my bookshelf staring angrily at me. I’ve not done justice to them. I’m halfway through “ The One Who Will” by Jack Egan currently. I have not yet completed Steve’s autobiography “Out of my Comfort Zone” ( I know I’ll get murdered for this confession by my friend PK who gifted this one to me!) but that will be off my to-do list sooner than later.

Jack Egan never got a chance to speak to Waugh when writing this book and the book is a compilation of thoughts from people who knew Waugh as a cricketer, paper clippings, some book references and his tour diaries. The book still makes for interesting reading.

And why am I writing this before completing the book – cause our GOD will break this man’s record of 168 tests tomorrow as he steps onto P Sara Oval – Colombo.

I’m at the half-way stage in the book where Australia has commenced the 95 tour of WI – the tour that turned the tide for the record breaking Aus side. I’ve not yet reached the double hundred that changed the course for all – for Steve and for Australia. I will share interesting tit-bits from the rest of book once I complete it – until then satisfy yourselves with some excerpts on this wonderful sporting hero . However grumpy he might have been – his game always brought a smile to our faces.

On how much he was respected by his then captain Allan Border.1987 WC :

“The rest of us have had legs of jelly but he seems to go ahead and just do it”

“He’s the sort of bloke that you know is not going to freeze. If he gets hit , it’s because the bloke’s played a good shot”

A few things on Waugh’s grumpy attitude:

Waugh had over the years gained a reputation among umpires in Australia as “always reluctant to leave the crease” . Mike Coward once wrote in the Sydeny Morning Herald, critical of Waugh’s attitude:

“Just when will Steve Waugh lighten up?He presents an unhappy and unsmiling soul, and this is such a pity; cause in many ways he is a very special cricket person.”

Peter Roebuck described him as the bloke whose lawnmower has broken down” :-)

The long wait for the much awaited first test hundred – Headingley, Ashes 1989. Ian Healy narrates in his book "Hands and Heals":

“ The relief and joy was palpable. Stephen put his head down, determined to get as many as he could. That was his way of savouring the moment. When he reached 137, he looked up to the players' balcony and waved at Tubby Taylor , who had made 136. ‘Gotcha’ he signalled.”

When he faced his first failure, Steve Waugh on being dropped in Jan 1991 from the test team and replaced by his twin Mark Waugh:

“It doesn’t really sink in until the plane is ready to leave and you are not on it”

When in 12th, the career advisers asked the Waugh twins what they wanted to do – both said ‘Play cricket in England’

Confidence. Lynette ( Steve’s wife): The first time Steve visited her place for dinner, someone asked what he was going to do for a living – he said ‘Play cricket for Australia’. The whole table went quiet.

His sense of humor:

In his early Sheffield Sheild trips he roomed with Imran Khan. They used to get lot of phone calls , mostly for Imran who was out all the time. Steve would answer the phone and say, “Hello, when would you like to come up?”

Against New Zealand, Australia was 300-1 at Hobart. Taylor was quite stodgy and crowd began getting abusive. When he came back to the dressing room and started complaining about the crowd’s ignorance and slow handclapping, Steve replied, “ Actually it was us mate, we started it”.

And how he became the master of singles – an art he became famous for in his career.

Bob Simpson worked hard on Waugh’s technique. Simpson narrates: “First you got to understand it doesn’t matter how bad you look avoiding the bouncer, it’s better to avoid than try to play it down if you are not capable of playing it down.

And that’s when he appreciated the full significance of the singles. Stephen had always been a four-hitter and so we worked hard on the ball coming in to the body. Move across to the off, all the weight on the right foot and you can roll through it, push it away to leg, get off the strike so that the bloke can’t get at you again. I don’t care who it is , if you get enough short bouncers, you start to worry about them – anyone who says they like fast bowling is an absolute liar.”

And those are just bits and pieces of what I’m reading now. The golden period is yet to begin,loads to come and loads to share. Watch this space for more.

Until then let’s celebrate the bloke’s achievements, one of which will be broken tomorrow by our very own little master. Let’s once again remind ourselves how blessed we have been to have witnessed Tugga play live!

And how do we make a bday special…

2010-07-31T21:34:00.001+03:00

In Dubai, I met my soul sisters – A and the 2Ds. We four are a riot together and I cannot imagine how I would’ve survived this place without them! From these 3 ladies, I’ve learnt a lot – strength, courage, compassion, loyalty and love!

It was A’s birthday today and we decided to surprise her in our own way. (We missed junior D as she is away in India). Another friend M too joined in and we ensured A would not forget this one.

‘A’ loves food – non-veg, especially if it is a little spicy and oily. Though we are getting tremendously calorie conscious, we let go on occasions like these. I may not sound modest here but the fact is that 4 of us are very good cooks and have our own specialities.

Senior D & I met up at her house and cooked the following:

D’s speciality – mince kebabs,
I cooked my mum’s speciality - prawns green masala and beetroot cutlets
D & I came up with our spontaneous recipe for chicken curry – spicy and oily just as A loves it.

M managed to get the rotis and rice and we landed up at A’s place at 10.00 yesterday night – her hubby and daughter aware of our plans while she slept blissfully

She tried to convince us that she was aware of our surprise but we knew she was faking it. At the stroke of 12.00 her hubby landed with the cake, balloons and a lovely Longines watch, her daughter with a life-size greeting card and her expression was worth capturing and framing for a lifetime.

We all played our part, but as always the one who stole the show, was MDH with his awesome, spontaneous poetic skills. A lovely day began for A amidst her loved ones and the following poem summed up what she has meant to me , MDH and our entire gang in the years we have known her:

Maajhyaa baykochi ti maitrin aahe
Pan kharatar maagchyaa janmaachi bahin aahe

Thodishi impatient aahe
Pan energy cha atom bomb aahe

Minal and Ti bhetli ki gossipcha pur yeto
Majhyaa IQ madhey Achaanak mothaa jump hoto

Tine keleli Baangdaa curry and kori roti chicken khaun mi trupt hoto
Good manners mhanun ghari zaun dhekar deto

Kaahi vel tila job mule traas zhaalaa
Pan malaa tyaa kaalaat kharyaa maitricha aabhaas zhaalaa

Honesty and Integritycha ti ek zabardasta example aahe
Maajhyaa Mulaanaa mi tichi story nhemich saangnaar aahe

“P” aani tichaa jiv “N” madhye guntalelaa aahe
“N” pan talent cha ek solid package aahe

Tishichyaa var zari asla ticha vay
Panchvishitlyaa mulinaahi tichyaa beautycha prashna padtoy

Aaz hyaa special person laa vaadhdivsaachyaa shubhecha deuyaa
Tu ashich hasat rahaa ..we all love u..our dearest “A”

Wishing you a wonderful birthday girl and may you have millions more joyous one to celebrate.

The Impossible

2010-07-27T20:11:00.001+03:00

Yeah I’m bored – bored of cricket! It has never happened in my 19 years of following this game that I’ve not followed a match – that too a match involving India and a test match!

I’ve always been glued in – to the radio, to the television, to the news, to the internet at any given time – office-home-school-college did not matter! If there was a match on, I was tuned in; especially if India was playing. But this time around, believe it or not – I’ve forgotten the days the matches begin, no idea what the schedule looks like and not opened the explorer in office to logon to the sites that provide me live score.

I was therefore, beginning to wonder if there was anything wrong with me – people even suggested I see a doctor. I almost did, until I diagnosed the cause – BCCI and Ind-Sri Lanka series.

I’m sick and tired of seeing these two battling against each other. If there is a single soul I know, who can come up with any memorable moments except the 293 by Sehwag at Brabourne last year between these teams, I’ll throw a party.

Like all Bollywood romantic films these series have the same script; well most romantic films have happy endings and here only one team has had happy ending and that is Sri Lanka.

SL bats first on their dead tracks, we play the weakest bowlers, get thrashed around for 550+. Then our batsmen cave in the first innings and put up some fight in the second but lose a game that could’ve been saved. Did anyone complain that Indian pitches are awful, my answer, please rush to Sri Lanka right now, at least our tracks offer some assistance to spinners – there you could replace bowlers with bowling machines and nothing would change the game!

We have played 14 test matches since 2001 of which 8 were in SL. The last 3 series have been played in consecutive years 2008-2010. Of the 8 test matches in SL – we have lost 5, won 2 and 1 is currently underway which we look likely to lose.

The closest margin in these losses was 7 wickets in 2001. The rest we have lost either by an innings or 10 wickets!

The same Indian team has played Australia in consecutive years and every series has been memorable – some fantastic cricket and gritting display. Often it is your opponents that bring out the best in you and SL only does the opposite. I’m not finding excuses for India’s performance; but I think maybe even Sachin and Dravid are so dead bored by now, that they are not finding the will to give their best to what has become a monotonous routine year after year.

Sigh, if BCCI does not put an end to this immediately, cricket will land up losing a lot of fans along with India losing it’s No 1 ranking in the tests.

As for me – my sickness was partly cured by the fascinating test between Aus and Pak. 88 all out? How often do we get to see that score against an Aus line-up? And now I’ve some more medicine coming my way through Eng-Pak series, where a species called bowlers (which SL and India have completely buried ) will come alive on pitches that support some good swing bowling. India should not disappoint me in Oct-Nov Vs NZ and Aus, and even if they do, the Ashes will get me back on track.

For someone who is already having a terrible time at work and seeks solace in the one thing she loves; how can BCCI be so cruel and poison me with an overdose of India-Sri Lanka series in SL!

I was on the verge of my first serious break-up with my first love. It would’ve been unfair cause it is not entirely cricket’s fault; but we know many a times relationships break due to 3rd party involvements. Fortunately, the future is still looking relatively positive and cricket is pursuing me to continue the relationship. So I’m giving it another chance, cause if I don’t, I think I’ll hurt the most!

Gender Bias?:-)

2010-07-01T22:38:00.001+03:00

As much I want to write a post a day I am not able to find the time:-( When your mind is blank and wondering what to write on, I come across little saviours - Tags! As the brains are not working, these interesting bits zooming past in the blog world help you get out of your hibernation and stagnation!

Saw this interesting tag on IHM, Starry and Suranga’s blogs and had to take it up!

So here are the 10 things I have done which my gender is not supposed to.

1. The first one I guess is obvious – my first love - CRICKET! ‘Hell you do know the game, so you understand what a square cut is, you can actually identify the fielding positions, you can differentiate between spin and swing?’ And on this blog many a times - “Did not know a girl /lady was writing on cricket!” I can challenge, argue and beat most guys when it comes to the knowledge of this game. Yeah modesty on this front is not exactly my forte;-)

The one person who has benefitted the most – MDH. There is never an argument on what to watch on TV when a match is on!

2. I can fix electronic items well – I was an expert at mending VCRs as a kid. I can also change fuse bulbs and tubelights – did that often at home:-)

3. I can be a complete couch potato. I can watch TV for hours lying on my couch without feeling guilty or ashamed of having wasted my time.

4. I’ve rolled down the window of my car and hurled abuses at idiots who tried to act smart on the road – I landed up scaring my friends instead!

5. I can be extremely mean and sarcastic and always have a practical/logical view point to all things :-)

6. I love going shopping ALONE.

7. I love superhero movies, cartoons and comics. X-Men, Batman, Superman, Star Trek , Heroes, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Transformers – all of them – love them all!

8. I love bikes, I love two-wheelers. I could never own one thanks to being in Mumbai. My parents were petrified of the traffic and I was not allowed to drive one! I made full use of my vacations in Pune – I loved going out on bike-rides!

9. I don’t blush easily – or rather not at all. My first kathak teacher once told my mom – she is a lovely dancer, very graceful but please teach her to blush or feel shy! How will she do the Radha-Krishna dance if she cannot express shyness. My Vahini( sis-in-law) on my engagement and wedding day, “Minu atleast now we need to see how you look when you blush”

10. My best friends from my engineering days are guys! They know me too well. We can talk nonsense – utter nonsense with each other – even today. When I need serious advice or solace I know I can trouble them at any time of the day. Post heart-breaks, post marriages, post kids - It amazes me how pure, simple, fun and honest our friendship remains till date.

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Honestly I’m just feeling lazy to tag individuals, so will keep the tag open for everyone who reads this – do take it up!

How do we restore our faith back?

2010-06-24T16:31:00.002+03:00

What part of your life do you treasure the most?

Which friends make you comfortable the most?

Who are the people after your parents you look up to most when you are growing up?

Which are the days you wish would come back more often?

For most of us the answers relate to a place where we spent most of our childhood – our school.

It is not as if school days were perfect, there were teachers I hated – especially my principal (we could never stand each other!) and some fellow classmates I did not quite get along with (am I being shallow when I say that I still cannot go back to being normal friends with some?). The place reminds me of things I’d like to forget -

My weaknesses – my stupid ego, my false pride, my competitiveness

My miseries – my drawing and craft skills- (The teacher told my papa that she cleared me in the drawing papers cause she could not fail a topper, yeah I’ve lived with that all my life!)

My biggest regret in life – being a terrible athlete (I’d run away from all sports and this when I loved to watch all sports! Weird!)

Despite the above, for me, school memories are fun memories about my best friends, my classmates and my teachers. The teachers who taught me so much in life – to love, to respect, to be courteous, to put self-respect and dignity above all, to share, to enjoy life and be yourself .

The school is in the heart of a city with a campus as beautiful as can be – a fine blend of tradition and modernity. The old building made of black stone adorns the main gate. It has classrooms and halls with wooden flooring, dark alleys, secret passages, the scary science laboratory, the huge upper hall where we staged our performances and showed off our “acting skills”, the place where we discovered a new door or passage everyday, and the lovely 8th standard classroom that overlooks greenery and the huge court.

The huge play areas – basketball, volleyball, throwball courts, the lovely cottage that makes the entry of pre-schoolers to the school a memorable one, the canteen which served the world’s delicious pav bhaaji for a mere 2.5 bucks, the garden between the 3 buildings(2 new ones & the old one). The open stage -the arena for flag hoisting and major functions in school. Remember the Lejhim performances!

After spending 15 years in a lovely school and 15 years since passing out – only the good memories of the place and the people remain. For a city school and one established in 1832 – the first ever girls school in Mumbai – St. Columba Girls School was an institution we were and will always remain proud of until this bit of news hit us.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/St-Columba-beats-retreat-takes-back-palsy-student/articleshow/6064696.cms

Darshana Ramgiri is a 9 year old child in the Primary Section. A time where you don’t understand the world at all. It is defined by what your parents and teachers tell you. So when a teacher tells you that you are unwanted, how are you going to feel about yourself? How will you ever develop dignity and self-belief? How will you garner courage to fight your battles with a disease that is not your fault, hell you don’t even know what it is and its implications are! You are not looking for sympathy – you are looking for acceptance, you are seeking your right to lead a normal life and even God has no right to deny you that – so how can a human being even think of doing it?

Worst, the school continues to employ this teacher and instead of supporting Darshana has supported this teacher’s actions! I question all the teachers in my school – are you all not mothers? Are you not mothers to your students? How would you feel if Darshana was your child and meted out similar treatment that your fellow colleague has dealt to her? Would you have stood by your colleague then? Would you support her actions? The parents leave their precious flowers in your love and care for 8 hours a day and this how you justify their faith in you? You derogate the kid and make her feel unwanted – probably making her feel she is worthless, does not have a right to education or worse to live? Thank god for Darshana’s mother who seems to be made of steel – the fact that she stood up to this injustice and won. Shame to my institution for not standing by the child – don’t forget, it is these little girls who will bring fame and success to you in the future. They will proudly look back on the foundation you laid for them when they were taking their first steps. Have you forgotten what importance a school and its teachers hold in the life of these young impressionable minds?

My school memories are good memories and I’ve consciously erased the bad ones. My experiences are nothing compared to what Darshana or some of the less blessed girls in my class have had.

But here I’m going to talk about them and why a few handful teachers this school needs to do away with – for they are terrible examples of what a teacher should be. They have managed to survive cause we girls were either scared to speak up against them or maybe most were like me who simply did not care or let their words or actions impact what we did in our lives.

I still can’t get myself to take their names except the one mentioned in the report. I’m still not sure if it is the right thing to do – I had a bad experience with them, maybe others did not. I leave it for the school to decide if these teachers need to be still around – maybe some of them have left already.

If the main culprit in this piece of news is the same teacher we had in our primary days, I will not be surprised. She was a bad example even 25 years back. She was our class teacher and extremely partial. I was fortunate to be in her good books, but she imposed some awful punishments on girls of age 5-9. She would pinch the cheeks hard, one of my classmates’ cheek tore, she was derogatory in her comments and would make them feel like scum of the earth. She crushed the self-confidence of many and I appreciate my classmates who overcame her horror and turned out fine ladies today. Ladies you will look up to and want to emulate.

If you are not good at studies it does not mean you are some deplorable person, similarly if I don’t like drawing it does not give you the right to insult me. Try telling our art teachers that, both in primary school and high-school. Aren’t creative people supposed to be more liberal, more easy-going? But here we had opposites - both were absolute terrors – I’ve bunked many a drawing classes cause I did not want to encounter their wrath or insults as I was horrible at art and simply did not like it. It’s a different story that the high-school teacher was a different person altogether when she became our class-teacher in 8^th we came around to like her – but she still needs to do away with the scolding and insults for students who are not in her class.

The principal during my secondary years was equally disrespectful not only to us girls but also to our parents, she had the opinion that she was doing our parents a favour by allowing us to be in her school! Tell me how would we learn to respect her? She was mean, insulting and outright egoistic. We are taught to worship our gurus, but with teachers like her you’d only nurture hatred in your heart.

Walking in her footsteps – were two other teachers – one was my PE teacher and another who taught Marathi medium and was in charge of Girl Guide then. If you wish to learn to play politics, learn it from them and yes they will also coach you on how to do blatant partiality. During our final year both were responsible for sabotaging our prefect elections. It did not impact our life later but then it did deprive a lot of deserving candidates what was rightfully theirs. They carry with them a book of insults and how to demean a child. If you are not good at their subject you are lousy – even if you maybe a school topper. You did not choose Girl Guide so you must be lazy, you are not athletic so you are to be insulted. You don’t give me importance so you must be too proud. As you are every other teachers favourite, I need to show you your place even though you may be grounded and polite with all.

Who the hell gave you that right? I have the freedom of choice – I’m a geek, a bookworm so what? Did you ever have 10% of the intelligence I was blessed with? I don’t like outdoors – it’s my life and it’s my choice. You have no business determining how lousy I’m just cause I do not choose what you like. I have never ever disrespected my teachers and I’ve never sucked up to anyone – you need one you find someone else, stop demeaning me. I may have been a topper in school throughout but my parents ensured I stayed grounded, you have no business insulting me for being a favourite with other teachers.

There is a fine line between punishing students for the wrong they do and insulting them to the point they feel worthless.

I just happened to have some amazing teachers in school and fantastic parents who never let my confidence be affected and helped me ignore these exceptions. But what if not all are as lucky as I was – what happens to them? You think they will ever blossom and gain confidence to lead their lives.

I’ve refrained from naming or blaming people in my life which is why I’ve not mentioned names above – maybe they have realized their misdoings and rectified their wrongs. There is no intention to dig graves – I buried those incidents long time ago. But when I read this incident, all those memories came back. Some teachers have not changed and continue to be cruel. Which is why we need to speak up, I was deeply hurt after reading about Darshana Ramgiri. I feel helpless that we ex-students could do nothing to help her cause. Wish we had known earlier – we would’ve tried our bit.

I don’t know how the school is doing anymore – culprit for not being in touch! Used to visit my teachers and school every year until my graduation. Some stupid principal stopped ex-students from visiting the campus, I last heard. We have a right to that place in case she has forgotten – it’s our second home and you cannot stop a person from coming home. We love the place, it’s our shrine, our faith, our belief-system and we love some of our teachers there.

Maybe they were not perfect and they had their respective flaws – ego and favouritism we girls termed them as – but they were not cruel, they were not insulting towards us, and when the time was right they kept aside everything and praised our little achievements. We were a mischievous lot but they never held that against us. As long as we did well in our fields they were only proud of us.

I keep with me the good memories but when incidents like Darshana’s surface, it reminds me of those bad ones. Life is not perfect , with the good we have to deal with the bad. But no school or teacher has the right to do what it did to Darshana – discriminate and deny her the right to education. What message are you sending out to people? She is a normal child with a normal IQ, why was she discriminated against owing to her illness – do none of your teachers or students ever take ill? On one hand you preach equality and were pioneers of women education in Mumbai and on other hand you commit such a heinous act?

How we will deal with this I do not know – when the one place that built your life’s foundation begins to show signs of crumbling - tell me how do we restore our faith back?

Papa

2010-06-16T21:13:00.002+03:00

Minu you are just like your dad – every time I hear that line, I beam with pride. I have been an out and out daddy’s girl. I’ve inherited his forthrightness, his in-your-face attitude, his loyalty, his faith, his discipline, his practicality, his meticulousness, his tidiness, his organization skills, his temper, and yes fortunately a part of his intelligence.

A brilliant writer with impeccable knowledge, if circumstances were in his favour he would’ve made a brilliant lawyer. A brilliant teacher , I don’t have the exact number of people he taught and trained to clear the promotion exams in Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The house would be full and he would be touring multiple BMC branches to coach the officers without charging a single penny. He believed money cannot compare to the joy one gets from imparting knowledge and seeing your students do well. Even after his retirement I rarely saw him free from work – his work was his passion, his life.

Always the one to help anyone and everyone who came to him, I don’t recollect anyone returning disappointed from our house. A strict disciplinarian and well respected in both families, always the one most sought after for guidance. A mentor, a guide, a loving family man.

The reason behind all the good I’ve achieved in life, the one responsible for my self-belief and confidence and my mumma’s lifeline. The one who built the bridges when mom and I had our numerous fights. The one who made me steaming hot dal-rice when I returned home from my 10th prelim exams. The only one who loved the tea I made ( I do not make tea very well:-()

The person behind my cricket craziness, who encouraged this stupid passion and hobby of mine. The one who got me addicted to the lovely game and watching matches live at stadium. The one who recorded all the cricket matches I missed due to school and college, so that I could watch every ball again. The one who built me a mini-library of books which hooked me onto reading. The one who made me independent and ready for survival in this world. The one to whom I rarely mentioned how much I loved and respected him.

His only flaw – to him his daughter seemed the most perfect person and there was none like her. I would be often embarrassed when he would go on praising me to family and friends but he was always the first one to keep me grounded to earth. All you need in life is balance – my papa taught me that!

I can write a million pages on him but will end this tribute with a poem I wrote for him 5 years ago on his birthday:

Your face lit up
The day you held her in your arms,
Years of waiting, years of prayers,
Had finally brought the smiles.

The man above chose a wonderful day,
To let her walk into your world of two,
The same auspicious day,
He had chosen to unite you two.

Home of two,
Now abode of three,
Two faces smiling and glee,
A little toddler binding thee.

Little lady growing into a brat,
She was your raja, beta and a champ at that,
Driving her mom crazy and mad,
You would convince her mom she wasn’t that bad.

You held her little hands,
Taught her to walk and run on the sands,
Sands of time they were to be,
She knew you would always be there to guide thee.

Every evening she would wait at the door,
For the bell to ring twice,
The unique bell to remind her,
You had come to make her day twice as nice.

Mom knew she was becoming you,
A little version she said,
How will she be without you,
She worried and said.

She would often ponder how you would react:
At her graduating into a young rebel lady,
At her independence in thoughts,
At her getting her first salary,
At her friends who were lovable brats,
At her choice to live away from home,
At her choice to marry the guy she loved,
At her constant arguing with mum,
At the values and principles she developed,
At her every little thing!

She still ponders over and over,
She tries to gauge your reactions,
From the 17 years you spent with her,
Would it be similar to what her mind mentions?

She questions and finds no answer,
Why did god love you so,
To keep you with him forever,
Why was he unfair to take you so.

She is treading carefully on the sands of time,
Looking up to find your assuring smile,
She reaches home and waits aside,
Hoping someday that the doorbell will ring twice!

It is 13+ years since you’ve gone and the void remains, time does not heal and I still miss you Papa every single day of my life.

This post is an entry to the BlogAdda contest – Tribute to Dad. Hoping the lucky ones pick up a great gift for their dads from www.pringoo.com and wishing all the wonderful fathers a very Happy Father’s Day!

Time Heals…

2010-06-13T23:21:00.001+03:00

Not everything, everytime!

There are moments in my life when I crave for his presence - hoping he will come and guide me correctly. When he was around, I don’t remember being confused, lost or disoriented. That confidence, self-belief reduced with his absence and I doubt if it will ever return.

And when people tell me that time helps one to get over everything – I retort in my mind – All that is crap - 13+ years and I still miss Papa every single moment of my life.

Time does not heal everything, everytime. No it does not!

Destiny

2010-06-04T17:53:00.001+03:00

Is what made Arjun the greatest warrior of his times – not his supreme prowess for there were two more warriors greater than him in talent and in deeds.

Eklavaya – Who learnt from the clay image of the Guru who refused to teach him archery skills; and the same guru who took his right thumb so that Arjuna would remain the best archer in the world

Karna: The unlucky one, the one whom Kripa and Draupadi insulted when he could’ve easily won the Swayamwar that Arjuna finally won. The one who gave up his armour and jewels (that made him invincible) to Lord Indra, father of Arjun. The one who spared his brothers of death despite overpowering them. The one who did not disobey his dear friend Duryodhana and gave up the Shakti Shastra to kill Ghatotkacha knowing well this was the sole weapon that could destroy Arjun in the ultimate war.

Destiny is what we cannot fight even if we want to – Krishna and Vyaasa reiterate this truth throughout the epic Mahabhartha.

Since my childhood this mythological tale fascinated me more than any epic narrated to me. Just finished reading Chitra Banerjee Divakurni’s “Palace of Illusions” – Draupadi’s Mahabhartha; it’s an enticing read and this post might run into a thousand pages if I decide to pen down my thoughts – I may do that later but this I had to write down today.

Can we fight our destiny – can we overcome it? The Mahabhartha seems to suggest otherwise.

Diaper

2010-05-29T21:04:00.001+03:00

My 2-year old niece to her mother( my cousin bhabhi) on seeing the "Whisper" AD on TV:

" Mom there's your diaper"

I've not stopped laughing since I heard this from my sis and I'm amazed at the girl's observation powers!!! Kids do say the darnest things!

It’s A Simple Equation

2010-05-16T20:59:00.001+03:00

On Friday, Australia needed 37 runs of 16 balls. They were 7 down, staring at a probable defeat at the hands of the defending champs. A brilliant all-round show in the league looked likely to come to an end.

Micheal Hussey was on strike along with Micheal Johnson. Hussey who had to wait till he was 30 to bag the baggy green, and who struggled to cope with the T20 format. He who has had an outstanding run batting at no.7 for this Aus team.

6 sixes is what Hussey has to keep thinking - MDH told me; and that is exactly what Hussey thought. The last over saw 3 6s and a 4 being hit to seal it off for Aus. It’s rare to see Aussie emotion on display and I thought I saw Hussey break into a tear and an emotional outburst. And here is what he had to say after the victory - equating the feeling to an Ashes win.

Andy Bull in the Guardian sums up Hussey’s performance for all of us and what it means to Aus and to us fans.

“What Hussey did in that last over left me, and many others, lost for words that weren't expletives. Some of those stemmed from irritation, others from admiration, but most from disbelief. How the hell did he do that? Hussey rewrote a plot that had already been written.”

A friend on FB gave the answer to the question “ How did Hussey do that” – cause that’s what a player plays like when he plays for his country and not for the money.

The Aussies do not get paid as much as the Indian players do, they don’t get introduced to the international game early. They have to toil hard in the domestic league to breakthrough into the international team. Ask Gilchrist, Martyn, Langer, Hayden, hell ask Warne! No one, however a big star you maybe, is spared from the whip – Waugh brothers, Ponting - all will vouch for it. It’s a system where work ethics and hard work are not substituted by mere talent. Got the talent, not got the hard work – you will not find a place in that team. They work hard and they go even harder to achieve the win.

For them, the pride of the baggy green supersedes everything. They are taught not to let go until the last wicket is down or the last ball is bowled. It is a simple equation they are brought up with – what counts is your attitude and wearing your heart on your sleeve when you play for your country. Nothing comes above her – nothing!

And it was after reading my friend’s comment that I happened to open my google reader and read this wonderful article from Amit Varma, where he chronicles from experience, the struggle of sportsmen inclined to sports other than cricket in our country.

He had qualified for state-level tournament in Sholapur and he narrates on the facilities given to school kids with dreams to excel in a career at the sport they chose to love.

“There were more than 100 of us. No bedding was provided, part of the floor was wet (leakage from somewhere), and sleep didn’t come easy. The next morning, we found that the toilet facilities intended for us amounted to a small shed outside the building that had three or four cubicles in it. Inevitably, fights broke out in the rush to use it. There were judokas, wrestlers, weightlifters and shot-putters around. As you’d expect, we chess players had to learn to control our bowel movements.”

And he writes further:

“Why I relate these stories, though, is to give a sense of how hard it was to make it in any Indian sport apart from cricket. Most of those sports are run by the government, and I don’t need to elaborate on the inevitable inefficiencies that result, and the hardships and bureaucracy that young sportspeople have to battle. You always feel that you’re fighting against the system, and whatever you achieve is in spite of it. I cannot stress this enough: To just survive the damn system, to keep playing the sport you love through years of this crap, you have to be made of stern stuff.

To actually come out of this and excel at the international level: that’s a whole different deal. To those guys: R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”

And on Anand he writes:

“In the context of where he came from, it’s like a guy takes a Maruti 800 into a Formula 1 race and wins the championship. That guy, frankly, is more than just the best driver in the world.”

So if we have an Anand in our country to seek inspiration from and are a pampered lot compared to any other sports player in the country – why is it that we fail so often? Why is it that we do not take responsibility for our pitiable display, and continue to find excuses for our failures and what is it that we are so proud of?

There is a lot of talk back home on how India’s dismal performance was attributed to the IPL, and how we need a change in captain, but to me all that seems inconsequential. What is lacking is the attitude in the youngsters and the governing body.

I cannot fathom Yuvraj’s approach and his consistent failures, Raina, Gambhir and Rohit Sharma – my men for the future who have not realised that it is equally important to score of a short-pitch delivery as it is to tackle it. Despite the MRF pace academy in place why are we not rich in the bowling department and why are players hiding their injuries?

Is this a result of everything coming too easy and too early for them? Huge pay packets,the glitz-glamour and the backup of IPL careers.

Why is no one blaming the BCCI? What have they done to help better the conditions and make them conducive to nurture and promote talent. The domestic pitches are still flat and despite big talks we see no improvement. There is a serious dearth of bowlers and we continue to lose a Ishaant, Irfan, RP Singh, Balaji time and again.

We have learnt not to learn from our past or our mistakes – a weakness was evident in the 2009 edition we carried it through and did nothing to rectify it.

There are plenty reasons and most cited here by Prem Panicker in his blog post and by Harsha Bhogle where he says we need to accept we are not good enough.

But to me what is most appalling is the attitude of the young team – even more cause they have grown up under the caring wings of Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and Laxman. 5 men who redefined Indian Cricket in the 2000s – who carried the torch far and wide – who got us back to believing in this team. The 5 who formed the core and the primary reason for India being the No.1 Test side in the world today. Men who have been synonymous with pride and loyalty, men who thought country first, men who never learnt to give up.

I think all that the team needs is to go back and take lessons from history – from the men who wrote that history. My generation grew up watching these 5 in action and I think the current team owes a similar tale to the next generation who is beginning their tryst with this fine game.

We not only have sources of inspiration from within - Anand, Sania Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra and the Fab 5 but we often play against an opposition who never ever gives up – and is one who should inspire us to bring out our best.

I’ve said a million times before – we fans love a good fight – die fighting hard and we will love that more.

If I love my country and I’m representing her – I need to take pride. She comes first. In the end it all boils down to a simple equation we are taught in life – It’s the attitude that matters – if you believe you have it in you to do it – you will do it, no matter what the situation life presents you.

Tag Along

2010-05-10T21:08:00.001+03:00

Sagarika – my new friend in the blogworld whose writing I’m becoming a huge fan of, asked me to do this tag. I don’t refuse tags unless I’m dead buried in my offline world. I’m currently but this seemed a nice break to take my mind of a few things! So here goes.

Rules Go Like These ——-
RULE 1- You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2- You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!
RULE 3- Copy and paste this into your notes, delete my answers, type in your answers and tag to your friends to answer this.

Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Innocent
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
Held a snake? Innocent
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose?Guilty
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Kissed in the rain? Guilty
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Innocent
Sang in the shower? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent
Made a girlfriend cry? Guilty
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Innocent
Donated Blood? Innocent
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Innocent
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Innocent
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Been too honest? Guilty (Always and never learn!!!)
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Guilty
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty
Had communication with your ex? Innocent
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty

Done! As for my part I tag some fine ladies in the blogworld and whose blogs I thoroughly enjoy! Hope some of them come back from their hiatus with this:-)

Starry, PNA, Suranga,Indyeah, Solilo, IHM,Richa,D,Nova,Sands,MIM,Poonam, and AJ

Missing Akka

2010-05-06T22:06:00.002+03:00

Akka is the grandmother I’ve not spoken about much on this blog. My aunt’s mom, my Didu’s maternal grandmother. Majority of my childhood has been spent with my Didu’s maternal relatives just as hers has been spent with my paternal relatives.

School vacations were equally distributed with spending time in Pune and Ahmednagar. Ahmednagar is my aunt’s home. I have lovely memories of that house. It is in the main town of Ahmednagar, the town with loads of dust and heat. The house was bang on the roadside with Baba Aajoba’s small electrical shop in the veranda, the passage led to an open area in the centre of the house where the sun hit hard. There was a huge black jar kept for drinking water in which the water remained as chilled as it would be when kept in the freezer. The 4-year old me would ask Akka innocently, why her fridge was black while the one in my home was white. This one looks dirty, let me try scrub it and I would try scrubbing it for hours while all the elders would watch the fun! There was a small open water tank on the right side,which we term in Marathi as Haud. The kitchen was on the left hand side of the open area where Mami made her awesome food, especially her famous Khichadi. And finally, the main hall in the front, where Akka, Mama and Baba Aajoba would be seated watching TV.

When we cousins got together, we used to have a blast running around the small house especially the terrace. Baba Aajoba would be fed up with us constantly using his shop as our play area, climbing up and down the staircases and shouting hoarse from the terrace and playing games in the room on the terrace. At the end of the day, we would be dead tired and then sleep at night on the terrace cuddled up in Akka’s arms. Summer or winter made no difference to us – the bliss of being with loved ones makes you forget everything.

Mami would get me the fresh, hot diamond shaped Khari biscuit every time I visited Ahmednagar. Akka would take me around to meet her relatives and pamper me. I liked tagging along, I loved being pampered. She would bathe me every single day and scrub real hard with shikakai. It was her favourite!

We would often visit her brother’s fields and enjoy the amazing sugarcane juice and rides in tractor. She would keep getting goodies every single day that I spent in Ahmednagar and make me feel like one important lady!

Akka was a loving aaji to all her grandchildren. R was her favourite, probably her best friend. I, the outsider, was her favourite too, she told me that:-)

Once I moved on to engineering and MBA it became increasingly difficult to go to Ahmednagar and spend time with her. Mama changed the structure of the old house and we all felt a bit hurt. It was no longer the place we identified with and with that we felt our memories were lost. I lost the longing to visit and stay there. So my visits were sporadic and I only managed to meet Akka when she visited Talegaon at her elder daughter’s ( my aunt’s sister) place.

Mama, my aunt’s only brother passed away suddenly in Nov last year and with his demise Akka lost her will to live. I had met her last before I left for Dubai and every time I visited Mumbai I could not find the time to go meet her in Ahmednagar. She was getting increasingly weak and could not travel. Finally this March I squeezed a day, and went along with my mom and uncle to meet her and Mami post Mama’s death.

Her memory had gone weak I was told but I was gladdened to see her recognize me and speak with me. I don’t know what it was but I kept convincing Didu to come down to India for her delivery and not call my aunt to UK. I’m glad she did cause my aunt managed to meet her mom more often than she would’ve thought.

Akka passed away 2 weeks back on 22nd April. If Mama was around maybe she would’ve lived a few more years, but somehow the death of her only son made her feel guilty and she lost her will to live.

I miss her, it’s not easy to cope up with the death of grandparents. Didu and I’ve lost two in a span of 6 months – two wonderful ladies who loved us loads. They both passed away on a Thursday and ironically on the birthdays of their children.

I did not spend much time with Akka in the last 7-8 years as much as I would’ve liked to but I never stopped thinking about her. She loved Black raisins – I’ve sent a small pack for her every time I visited India. Had bought this time too and forgot to take it at the last minute. For the first time I would’ve given it to her myself and seen her smile – guess that moment was not there in my destiny.

I still thank god cause I got to meet her, sit with her and spend some time with her. She was a lovely lady, she reminded my mom-in-law of her own mother.

Akka I miss you, never been able to express myself enough, to you and neither to Mothi Aai, but you both have given me valuable lessons in life on how I should be to my grandchildren.

Thanks Didu for sending her snaps, the first one in her young days and the second a few years back.

Phases

2010-05-03T19:34:00.001+03:00

I’ve been blank in my thoughts for the last 10 days. I open my windows live writer and decide today I shall try and blog, but nothing seems to come out. It’s not that the mind is blank – but I cannot seem to write anything down.

There is a lot happening in my offline world. Good and Bad. The good keeps me going – there is much to look forward to. A lot of bad is happening, has happened, and might continue to happen. People don’t seem to believe in Karma but I do. What goes around comes around.

The old me would’ve brooded and cried and got all negative. The present me will have none of that. It’s not worth it – to get upset over the bad part. Life’s so short we need to savour the good.

I’m human and yes there will be times when I’ll get upset, and feel life is unfair but am not going to carry that home. When at most times we choose our destiny there will be times when destiny chooses you. So this is a phase and it will be over.

I’ve seen worse things, so this is miniscule. I’m trying to be positive and maybe you might see less of me here but I’ll be back soon with the same fervour and zest that make up this blog.

The Cricket Podcasts Continue…

2010-04-25T19:14:00.001+03:00

The fourth overall in the series, my third one! Do listen and don’t forget to let us know on the site.

The IPL This Week-4

Do comment – your views will help us make the podcasts better.

The previous ones here in case you missed those.

The IPL This week – 3

The IPL This Week – 2

When I met the “Other GOD”

2010-04-24T22:36:00.001+03:00

Life is made up of our dreams – big and small. The big ones keep you going in pursuit of bigger things. It is the small ones that matter cause they bring a smile on your face at unexpected times but when you need it the most. In the pursuit of accomplishing the big one we often forget the little ones that have come true and weigh much more than that one huge one.

I’ve had many such ones – but the one that came true on Tuesday 20th April probably took the cake.

I’ve dealt all my life with people wondering how can a girl be a cricket geek and to add to it how the only person I’ve idolized in life is no Greek God from Bollywood or Hollywood or one of those oh-so-cute cricketers that all girls seem to love. An idol for me is someone you would love to emulate , someone you would see yourself be one day.

Well that was me – the incorrigible geek. I still am.

I’ve followed his writings and commentary ever since I started watching cricket but never got a chance to meet him. It was my terrible luck that he could not make it as a judge to the “Harsha ki Khoj” auditions that were held in Mumbai. I remember being thrilled to have made it to the city rounds and disappointed at not meeting him at the same time.

Managed to interact with him on mail and he was generous enough to spare his time, read some of early articles and give his honest feedback. So I never pursued sports writing as a hobby and stuck to my cruel corporate world.

However this blog gave me a new avenue where I continue penning down my thoughts to a few loyal readers and the bliss I experience cannot be expressed.

So imagine how thrilled I was to able to meet him after following him for 18 years! Here is my little story – of a small dream come true.

This opportunity was thanks to a friend AR we were introduced to by my MBA batch mate just a couple of months back. And she was kind enough to take all the efforts to arrange passes for us.

We headed to the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium – a world class facility. We were taken to the Royal Box where it was the meet and greet program. The box carried clippings of some famous cricketing events – the famous Aus-SA 1999 WC semi-final. The entrance was adorned by the two greatest bowlers Murali and Warne and the two greatest batsmen – Sachin and Lara to have played this game. The walls carried bats signed by the Aus and Pak teams that played the inaugural T20 game here in 2009. The score sheets of the game were also placed beside them.

As I was taking the snaps, a lady tapped me from behind and asked are you Minal. I said yes and she said I’m EH, I guessed it had to be you cause only one lady hounded us for passes and there is no lady I know who is this crazy for cricket.

As we were having our drinks – another organizer came in and walked up to me saying – Come let me introduce you to Harsha cause I told him that you have to meet your female fan – the only one who was ready to buy passes for this event. I could not believe myself when I was introduced to Harsha Bhogle – a man and writer I've admired for decades. He recollected the mails I had written and we had a small chat. What an amazing guy , down to earth and humble. I finally got his autograph on his book I own “ Out of the Box”. He then moved on to meet other guests and I could not even scream! Damn I wonder why we grow up at times!

We then preceded to the cricket ground – it was the first time I had stepped into a stadium ground and gone anywhere close to the pitch! BLISS!

All of us took our places and Joy Bhattacharya came on as the host for the evening. After a few minutes Harsha took over and we do not know where the next 2 hours flew by.

Harsha started off narrating experiences from his cricketing career and sharing clippings with us. I’ll write about a few in short.

On why he envies Ravi Shastri:

“Ravi is always there when records or history is being made – Remember Yuvraj’s 6 sixes of Broad in 2007 WC and also when Misbah mistimed that shot deceived by Joginder Singh’s non-existent pace to give a catch to Sreesanth and the World Cup to India as well.”

On why India would’ve been happy if Sania had married Misbah instead of Shoaib:

“All of India loves Misbah – he is their favourite ( after all he handed the WC 2007 victory to India)

On how Anil Kumble changed his approach to T20:

When T20 first came in Jumbo said,"What is this T20, I can bowl 20 overs on a trot." During season 2 he said,"What matters is not the 4 overs but that one ball. You play one ball at a time, a dot ball is a win – that is the key to winning this game.”

On what he learnt from Steve Waugh:

Steve said, “I look at the body language of a player. I could always make out when Ganguly was in a defiant mood and when he was nervous. The more he blinked the more nervous he was.”

More on attitude from Geoff Boycott:

“ When I used to bat I would run onto the field as soon as the opposition entered the ground, my partners often asked me why are you in a hurry. I’d reply, “ I don’t want them to feel they are ready for me, I want them to know that I’m ready for them”

On his first experience with Siddhu as a co-commentator:

Siddhu’s suitcases were full of 2-3 huge registers with loads of handwritten stuff. When they took to the mic in the box , he ticked of 5 odd phrases from one register saying that he would be using them in the next half hour. So Harsha asked,"What if the situation does not warrant their usage?" To which Siddhu replied,"Well that is tough luck for the situation,not my problem."

One of the Siddhuisms he quoted,“Shivsunder Das needs to get up on his toes just as the little kid does when he is has to pee in the urinal.”

On Inzamamam Ul-Haq

The slowest batsmen with the fastest eye

Watching Inzy is like watching a movie in slow-motion

Inzy once jumped in the air to avoid a ball aimed at stumps, the ball hit the stumps and he was given out as his feet were in the air. Next match he saw the ball coming and hit it with the bat to direct it elsewhere. He was again given out. At the press conference he says,"I don’t understand these rules – I avoid the ball I’m out, I hit the ball I’m still out!"

Wasim Akram narrated another one – Inzy and he decided to take a single irrespective where the ball went. Wasim hit and rushed to the non-striker end. Inzy at the non-striker end kept looking for the ball, and then turned around to find Wasim near him and said, “Arre Wasim Bhai, aap yahan kaise? (Wasim Brother, How come you are here)”

But he remains one of the most quiet, polite batsmen to have walked to the field – so if he ran into the crowd to hit the guy with his bat, you can imagine the provocation involved there.

On the GOD:

Sachin is a restless bloke when he is not playing cricket. In the first IPL season he sat out 7-8 matches. While a match was on, he picked a bat – held the handle close to his ear and tapped it. Then took another one and repeated the same. Then he gave the second bat to Bravo and told him use it when his turn would come. Bravo asked him,"But master what do you see?" SRT said,"Just listen to me'. Bravo insisted,"Master tell me what you see." SRT removed the grip of both the bats and showed the markings of No1 and No2. He had given the No1 bat to Bravo. He said,"That is my match bat and the other is my practice bat."

You see “Bats talk to me”

Harsha is right when he says that forget you and me, the one man who will be most unhappy when SRT calls it quits; will be SRT himself, cause he does not know what to do without his cricket.

On why Sachin never bats with a runner:

"The runner will always be behind me while taking a single. When I take strike I know what the bowler will bowl, I know exactly where the fielders are, I know how hard I'll hit the ball. My single has started when I take strike – so tell me how does a runner help my case?"

On Hansie and Azhar ( My favourite of all the little tales he told)

Two very similar men – deeply religious, fantastic team players, extraordinary human beings – just one weakness – Money!

Harsha Bhogle entertains with his intelligence and how rare it is to find that quality today where everyone is looking to score at any cost. The dignity and the cultured humour stands apart. There are no insults, there are no condescending talks, there is only humility and love for the game. He was asked his view on match-fixing in the IPL and he says I will not believe till evidence is produced, but till then lets us remember that 2 men of high integrity will walk on the pitch on 21st and that sight should restore our faith again in this game.

On why I idolize him:

His intelligence and his ability to speak his heart without hurting a soul. His strong belief in his middle class roots, his humility to admit he was lucky(cause not all can be that lucky as per him) in the field he chose. His practical approach, his no nonsense attitude. His simplicity to converse in our mother tongue Marathi when he heard MDH and me converse in Marathi. His patience to spend time with his fans without ever giving the impression he is doing a favour on them. Yes, if you need a lesson in humility you need to meet this man.

Before I take leave, here is something I have to share with you all. At the end of the session, the Q & A was thrown open to the audience and I got the chance to ask the first question. Here is what I asked:

Harsha we have grown up watching the Fab Five – Sachin, Rahul Saurav, Anil and Laxman. For my generation, Indias cricket has been defined by them – we simply adore them. But tell me who among them is your personal favourite?

To which he replied: Anil Kumble for the wonderful human being and cricketer he has been. The ideal role model for a generation to come.

My guess was either Dravid or Kumble and I’m glad I was right about that:-)

He liked the question I asked and here is what I won!

An opportunity of a lifetime, a memorable evening – thank you AR and thank you Harsha!

You wrote in my book “Have Fun”, well I always have, always do and I always will – Cricket pretty much takes care of that:-)

A Tribute to the True Gentleman in this Gentleman’s Game

2010-04-10T21:55:00.003+03:00

14-5-29-1 Vs WI, Antigua 2002

If you do not understand what these figures mean or signify, you have just insulted India’s most affable cricketer. A lion at heart, a true fighter, the man who can replace the word “Gentleman” in dictionary.

I’ve seen people run away from the field with the slightest of injuries, this man bowled with a broken jaw. Takes guts, takes great courage and takes a truck load of patriotism. His 619 wickets and awesome hundred at the Oval can be kept aside. This one act of his, puts him in World Cricket’s Hall of Fame.

Hit by Merv Dillon in the first innings, it looked unlikely he would bowl. Despite no result in sight, he did not shy away. Stepped out with a bandaged jaw, bowled consecutive 14 overs and scalped Lara – and Jumbo won a million hearts all over again.

He narrates an anecdote:

"The first paper clipping that I have is of an under-17 match and the top headline says 'Tendulkar and Kumble score centuries'. He scored a century for West Zone and I got a century for South Zone and I didn't know who Sachin was at that point of time. When we first came into the Indian team, everybody in India said you [Tendulkar] would break all records. You've done that. Congratulations to you. To me, when I first came, they said you won't last two Test matches.
You had the challenge of proving everybody right. I had the challenge of proving everybody wrong."

And how well did he do that. Anil Kumble debuted in 1990 Vs England. The tall, lanky, bi-spectacled bloke. The one I learnt was an Engineering Student – he did look the type – studious & serious. He had me wondering what was this guy doing on a cricket pitch? He gave me the answer for almost 2 decades post that series and I never asked that question again. If his body had not given away, he would still be holding fort at one end for the country. There is no one today in this team who inspires the same confidence that he did. I remember Ganguly saying in one of the interviews, “When the opposition was at 250/1 and I was looking around to see who would bowl next, I often had Anil staring back at me wanting the ball.” Never afraid of a challenge, never the one to give up, never the one to walk away.

When he called it a day my eyes were moist and the mind did not want to accept. The images on the news that day will not fade away for a long time. I’ve not seen my husband so upset. I’m was even more surprised at myself, practical and objective always, I had a tear in my eye when I saw him take the field for one last time that November of 2008 at the Kotla.

The warrior, the fighter, the pacifier, the real gentleman of this game, Anil Kumble is sorely missed by one and all; the cricketer, the bowler, the captain, the team-mate and more than anything the wonderful human being.

Calm, peaceful, determined, gritty, he has all the qualities that make us believe that cricket is indeed a gentleman’s game and Anil Kumble is fine representative of that breed which is slowly diminishing away.

But of all the qualities listed above, the one that you identify with most is that of a true fighter and a committed player. Go back to the first paragraph of this post - Antigua 2002, when he claimed Lara’s wicket with a broken jaw. The image is still fresh in the mind and it only talks of undying love and commitment to the game, to the country and more importantly to oneself. Anil Kumble personified each letter of the word commitment that day.

He is a rare, super role model for generations to come, simply for the way he carried himself in the cricketing world for 18 years.

I still remember the ’93 series against England at home which lifted India from a series of defeats and put Kumble in the forefront of India’s bowling attack. There is no difference between that Kumble and the Kumble after 18 years. His thirst for taking wickets had not reduced, he continued to accept challenges, he continued to toil endlessly without showing an ounce of tiredness, and every time he picked up a wicket, he only wanted more.

But unfortunately his body gave away, though his mind and heart had not. Though, I must say that in the end he made a good decision, he called it quits at the right time. The injury to his hand only hastened the decision, which he might have held onto till the Nagpur match, had he not been injured.

Till date he remains India’s best bowler in the history of the game. 619 wickets and only the second bowler in the world to claim 10-wickets in an innings. The only bowler the captain would turn too when in dire straits and Kumble would more often than not respond by running through the side. He has given us ample to cherish. However, my most cherished moments after the 10-wicket haul come from his batting heroics. His 88 in Kolkatta 1996 in his partnership with Azhar against South Africa and his 100 in 2007 at the Oval in England. He waited for a long time to add that to his kitty and what a well deserved one it was!

Anil Kumble did not receive the same fan following or the adulation as his contemporaries got – Sachin, Dravid or Ganguly. He was the quiet fellow, the one who did the groundwork, kept his head down, completed his duty and got back – unnoticed by the fans.

Anil Kumble’s absence is felt more in the Indian dressing room, he was a mentor and friend to one and all. Despite being injured he was at the nets in the 2001 series to guide the young Harbhajan. Bhajji himself admitted after that amazing series that earned him the tag of ‘Turbanator’; as to how much Anil Bhai had contributed to his success. Jumbo was and is a constant source of inspiration and guidance for the young spinners in the country.

Although a fine leader, captaincy came very late in the day to Anil Kumble. He did a fine job in the limited time he had as a captain. He stood calm and tall against all that was thrown at him and his team. His conduct in the controversial 2007 series down under proved this fact.

There is not a single fan of this game, of Indian cricket, who will disregard Jumbo’s valiant efforts in two decades, his courage, his grit and his dedication. Jumbo has left behind a great legacy, one that will remain unparalleled for a long time to come. He has left a path that will be tough to follow and emulate; but he has ensured that he will be there to guide those who try to tread the same. Ask Bhajji , Chawla and Mishra.

Jumbo we miss you, we realize it now; it is tough watching the matches knowing that you are not there to bowl the straight one, the flipper, and to shut the critics up who said you could not spin!

You have left this game with the honour of being India’s best spinner and bowler till date; that has been the best answer to all the critics in the world.

Yes, you proved all of us wrong – all of us who raised doubts about your abilities to last beyond a few test matches. You had the bigger challenge, you knew that and you finally won - lasting two decades and how!

This entry is posted as a part of the Contest by BlogAdda.com

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee

2010-04-04T22:55:00.002+03:00

I cannot believe I won this award!

http://avantgardebloggies.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/best-personal-post/

Wow Poonam and her team put up a fantabulous effort and I mentioned to her no one will be a sore loser seeing the efforts that went into these awards!

I cannot believe I won in the Best Personal Post Category.Simply cannot:-) Big thanks to all who voted for me and took the trouble of reading the post:-)

Means a lot – this is encouraging stuff!

I’m gonna go celebrate now:-)

My First Cricket Podcast

2010-03-31T21:44:00.001+03:00

Got this amazing opportunity thanks to Aditya who owns and manages the www.theindicast.com site. It was super fun and awesome to interact with the seasoned cricket journalist Ayaz Memon.

We are looking forward to give you guys the very best from this show. We will put in our level best and it will help if you can give your honest feedback in the comments section on the indicast site.

Do tune in every week – will update once the next podcast is up. This was released last Sunday

So go here and let us know.

VOTES PLEASE!

2010-03-27T15:57:00.001+03:00

I was on a sabbatical owing to my business trip and lost out on the time to do the much needed PR for my first nomination at a blogging award! There is time left till Sunday tomorrow!

Please go and vote here:

http://avantgardebloggies.wordpress.com/

My post If I knew then what I know now nominated in the “Best Personal post” Category! Vote now!

Hurry!

Mini-Break

2010-03-06T21:31:00.002+03:00

The blog is on a small break. Short vacation to Mumbai which means no time to login & then 2 weeks official trip! Will try to be back fast , if not we meet in April. Hope you all come back:-)

And God rewrites the record books – 200*

2010-02-24T21:15:00.001+03:00

People often wonder why I address this man as GOD. He has given me many reasons to do so – and today was another one of them.

I almost cursed Dhoni for the first time in my life when he did not give Sachin strike in the 49th over and then threw kisses when he did not push Sachin for the 2nd run at 49.2 overs! Thank god for that.

For someone who took 79 matches and 5 years to get his first hundred in ODIs, Sachin has never looked back! 46 centuries in ODIs accompanied by 47 in tests – I expect he will get to another 100; that of his international centuries this year at the rate he is going. He has 5 this year already – 4 in tests and 1 in the ODIs.

He has got tantalisingly close to the coveted mark 186* against NZ in 1999 and then twice in the last year: 163* against NZ when he retired hurt and 175 against Aus.

Today he was all the class, elegance and timing we associate with the beauty of batting. He did not thrash the bowlers – he just belted them gently. Such was his powerful timing that he kept playing the cat and mouse game with the fielders. Till the ball hit the ropes the fielder was given hope that he could stop it, he would chase all the way only to be exhausted and find the ball smiling at the boundary ropes. Sunil Gavaskar has always claimed he loves such shots – the ones that tease the fielder. Sachin played them plenty today

Square cut, cheeky third man fours, cover drive, on-drive, shots through mid-wicket and off the square! There was not an area he left uncovered. The bowlers bowled a good line yet he placed the ball where he wanted to. Sachin played like he is 17 today when he is approaching 37.

The energy, the exuberance, the hunger amazes me – I’ve just entered my 30s and I often feel totally phased out! The guy is a perfect role model. And despite all the madness, the money, the crazy fans – the man remains unfazed. He remains his simple self, the Marathi Mulga from Sahitya Sahwas in Bandra. His middle-class Maharashtrian roots still strong. His commitment and dedication unparalleled. The more you speak of him , the less it is.

I feel blessed – to have been born in his era, to have witnessed this phenomenon – to have watched him play since his debut in 1989 till date. So many moments, so many smiles.

Today the commentators kept harping about SA having chased 434 in 2006. I did not need them to remind me of it – I had seen the match live. Often these TV commentators lose sight of important things. I would not have cared if SA would’ve chased down 402 today – all that I cared about was that no batsmen on their side got to 200. Today, India’s victory was not important – Sachin’s record was. Period. I was being selfish and it was well justified – cause Sach is indeed GOD and Sach is indeed our life!

P.S: My Kodak Moment of the Day was : Virat and Raina taking a bow to the GOD from the dressing room – they will need all his blessings if they wish to emulate half his deeds in the future.

In 30 different ways, He said I LOVE YOU

2010-02-20T21:04:00.005+03:00

This post was picked for Blogadda's Tangy Tuesday Picks

I’m not a romanticist – that is MDH’s domain. He more than makes up for my shortcomings. Last Friday was my 30th birthday and it was Mahashivratri so I was fasting. Add to it that he had his major office event; so it was next to impossible for him to arrange anything for me. Hence,we postponed all celebrations to the next i.e this week.

MDH is known for his innovative surprises – I’ve not heard of similar ones from the numerous couples I know. My guy friends hate him cause their wives pester them after hearing my stories. 7 years since we started dating and 5 years of marriage - I wondered what this guy would do this time. So here goes the story. It’s a long long post - but this time I’ll be quiet and let the pictures do all the talking.

I was packed off to a surprise ride in a Limousine with 3 of my best friends here. When I returned home with them – the door opened to this! A rhyming clue preceded each gift.

The house is all set with my 30 gifts:

The clues and the gifts begin:

No.1: Personalized leather wallet
No.2: Our new LCD
No.3: 2-hour ride in black Cadillac limousine with my terrific girl gang in Dubai – 4 of us

No.4: My favourite chocolate – Cadbury Dairy Milk which he got on our every single date

No.5: Mobile cover – Cause I seem to lose this all the time

No.6: A snap of me with my girl gang in Dubai – They are my soul sisters and we 4 rock!

No.7: Junk/Imitation jewellery

No.8: Tome and Jerry CDs – I love these two :-)

No.9: 5-star mini-bar yummmmmmm

No.10: Gems – minis M&Ms – fills up my empty stomach anytime;-)

No.11: Fridge magnets with funny/sarcastic sayings – Both my refrigerators are loaded with them, yet I need more;-)

No.12: Doritos chips – my weak point.

No.13: My latest craze – eye-liner pencils

No.14: The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes – Need I say more?

No.15: Office desk supplies – to keep myself organized

No.16: About 200 odd articles of Harsha Bhogle & Peter Roebuck – Special thanks to our dear friend RS who took the pains to compile them!

No.17: A frame that tells the meaning of both our names and our personalities

No.18: This a bit unbelievable still not recovered – a star registered with my name in the Libra Constellation in the sky forever!

No.19: My addiction – Bejeweled 2 – He bought me the deluxe version and is loaded on my comp!

No.20: A 3-d snap of us two etched in a glass piece – for eternity

No.21: Saree – I think is the most beautiful piece of clothing ever designed. My friend’s AM’s fine taste helped.

No.22: Salwar suits: The next best;-) Again AM helping MDH – she is too good.

No.23: My Panda: After my tiger Jenny:-)

No.24: An addition to my cricket collection – ‘The One Who Will’ Biography of one of my favourite players Steve ‘Tugga’ Waugh. I know someone who will be jealous for this gift alone!

No.25: A DVD writer to go with my swank new HP mini

No.26: Our names written in the Egyptian hieroglyphs on the Papyrus Paper

No.27: My favourite TV cricket series - The DVD of BODYLINE

No.28: Handmade greeting card. My school friend AJ gave me one every year; until she moved to USA. I was craving for one in this world of e-cards – and he did one for me :-)

No.29: Is my small dream – thinking about it and it will happen sooner than later . Need to get the name right!

No.30: A Solitaire ring and pendant – this one was the biggest surprise!

So you do understand that I’m at a loss for words. The preparation, the planning, getting my friends involved – I’m stunned, absolutely stunned at how much someone can love. And also feel blessed for being surrounded by such lovely people – all our friends who helped MDH to make this special – they live in Dubai and all around the world. I cannot thank them enough. DV, DK, AM, RS, DD, SK, RK – special thanks to you all!

This has been my best birthday ever – talk about welcoming the 30s with a bang!

P.S: If you need help to surprise your spouses – drop in a line and I’ll get MDH to consult. He will not disappoint!

The Love Affair Continues…

2010-02-16T21:43:00.001+03:00

Between VVS Laxman and Eden, between VVS Laxman and us fans.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Fab Four – The God, The Wall, The Prince and The Very Very Special Man. And now add the brave openers Gambhir and Sehwag. If the Prince was still around the batting line-up would be perfect – the Scintillating Six! Each one of them with their unique styles has only given us joy and nothing less.

VVS is the quiet performer among them all. He will come to the crease, get to his hundred in no time, boost the team score and quietly fade away in the background. In the time spent at crease, he would’ve mesmerised us with the magical melody he played. His batting is sheer delight, a sight to savour. Hailing from the land of another graceful player, VVS has pretty much lived up to the expectations he has built up. He has one of the best records against the mighty Aussies and today, he gave SA glimpses of the genius he is.

He makes you fall in love again and again with the array of strokes on display. Extra cover, mid-on, mid-off, square, third man , name the area and he had it covered. Improvisation is his biggest asset – remember that shot of Warne’s legside ball hit to extra cover in 2001. Today, he hit Duminy between cover and mid-off, then shots followed on the on-side and in the mid-off and extra cover region – no fielder moved, not a single one.

His record at Eden is fantastic , a 1000 runs, 4 centuries which includes that memorable record-breaking 281 in 2001. It is his arena, his stage, his region of dominance, he has marked his territory with supreme authority. As my dear friend PK told me yesterday, that no matter where he bats in the line-up; if it is Eden, Laxman will get a century!

He is the perfect team man. See what his presence and fantastic catch to send Kallis back, did to the morale of the team. Always the one to put his hand up when the team is in distress. He is now only playing tests but every time he walks onto the field he gives it all.

Sehwag’s batting makes you go WTF, Gambhir and Dravid’s brings in assurance, Sachin’s is a God’s blessing, and Laxman’s brings that smile to your face which any passerby can notice; making him wonder why you are smiling. Laxman has that charm on us.

But my friend PK summed it to perfection today about VVS’s special batting:

“Every shot of Laxman brings to my mind the adjectives – yummy, delectable, sumptuous. If only I could gorge on all of Laxman’s innings , I would be ready to die of high cholestrol”

I’ve not seen anyone come up with a better description of this man’s batting – yeah let’s relish every bit of it, while it lasts.

Another one to the list…

2010-02-14T20:54:00.002+03:00

Another incident that will join the millions awaiting justice
Another attack where the attackers will never be found
Another attack to be forgotten
Another story for the media to scan, analyze and televise for a scoop or breaking news

Yeah, too small a thing to focus on. We have much more bigger issues such as to ensure MNIK releases as planned, have the entire Mumbai force including SRPF up in arms to protect SRK, Kjo and gang, SS and MNS’s need to fight for the pride of the Marathi Manoos, go ahead with our peace talks with our neighbour, reason out the exclusion of Pakistani players from IPL, far far more important issues on hand compared to finding ways to eradicate or reduce terror activities in the country.

Terror attacks are now a common thing – 26/11 has been forgotten. How bad is our memory that we live only in the present.

You have full rights to ask me what am I doing about it , sitting away from the country. I’m not entitled to crib –I’ve lost the right to. I’m abroad, I do not caste my vote , I don’t come out on the streets to join hands in silent protests or light candles for the victims. Yes, when you say I should shut up, I won’t argue with you. But I’ve the right to cry and that is all I can do today.

Pune is my second home. It is the place where I spent my vacations and freaked out on its streets on our bikes. I felt safe, even more safe than I felt in Mumbai. It is home to my favourite aunts and best friends. So when it is hurt, the heart breaks and all I can do now is cry.

So I hope the terrorists can someday tell me which of my favourite cities and places are on their agenda next – Mangalore, Bangalore, Goa, Munnar, Kumarakoram? Please tell me, so that I’m mentally prepared to bear the grief you sick people give me every time. I’ve lost my loved ones so I think I’m tough enough to handle anything; but no, I fall apart every time you terrorise my loved ones – my country and its people. Laughing aren’t you, enjoying the fun? Yeah go have some more. Wonder when you will be satisfied, when you have eradicated each one of us?

But hopefully someday I will change that. Yes I intend to do my bit, maybe miniscule, maybe small, even inconsequential in the long run but I will do my bit. Tell me have you, who has chanced upon this blog, have you thought about what you will do?

Ind-SA First Test Post-Mortem - Twitter Style

2010-02-09T20:53:00.001+03:00

Selectors Goof-Up #Fail

Old war horse Kallis’s century and Amla’s double hundred #Pass

Non-performance of Indian bowlers #Fail

Lack of support to Zaheer #Fail

Fielding a 3rd string batting line-up against one of the best pacemen in the world #Fail

Lack of runs from an experienced opening duo #Fail

Sehwag-Badri batting in first innings #Pass

Steyn’s explosive pace, outswing, reverse swing, 145Kph, full-length, short-pitch #Pass

Collapse - 6 wickets for 12 runs #Fail

Tendulkar’s ton #Pass but failure to own his test and save the day for India #Fail

Seniors failing to set an example to young debutants #Fail

Dhoni’s uneasiness at the pitch #Fail

Curator of the pitch #Pass

Selectors running for cover by recalling Raina, Karthik #Fail. Who told you to drop them in the first place !

Journalists trying to run down this team with unnecessary criticism #Fail

Media hyping the Indian Team #Fail. Media is the first to pull them down and lose faith in them.

Missed Dravid-Laxman sorely #Yes

Lost my faith in the Men in Blue #No

Expectations from this Indian team to turn around in Eden #Hope

You know you are entering your 30s decade when….

2010-02-08T21:01:00.003+03:00

Teenagers you meet are confused whether to call you Didi or Aunty
Every person you meet wonders why you are not married yet
Every family member has only one question when you meet them after marriage,“When are we getting the good news”
You look at all your friends who are parents and wonder if you’ve passed your age of becoming a parent
You cannot fathom how school kids these days join “I hate XYZ teacher groups on Facebook”, and dare to abuse the teachers publicly! Whatever happened to “Guru Sakshat Parambrahma”(Teacher is also a form of Lord himself) that you were taught when in school
You are the one person most sought after by your nieces and nephews for advice rather than their parents
Your nieces become your fashion consultants
You begin to detest your mirror cause it keeps showing the grey strands in your hair which multiply by the million every day
You are one of the people responsible for duties on family occasions and no longer the one helping out
You begin to prefer quiet nights at home vis-à-vis dinners/parties outside
You begin to re-assess your life and what can be done next
You wonder how most members in the Indian cricket team are younger to you
You begin worrying with the news of retirement of your favourite sports players - the ones who you grew up watching
You realize you have weight issues and wonder where did everyone disappear who told you that you were skinny and thin
You wish you had today’s wisdom to make the career choices yesterday
You struggle juggling the mobile, blackberry, laptop, netbook, PS3 and the known techie gadgets while your 7-year old nephew whizzes past them in a jiffy as if he has been handling them for years
You avoid adding your aunts or friends’ parents on your FB list not realizing the kids are doing the same to you since you are a friend/relative of their parents
You find it odd that kids these days spend their play hours watching TV or playing video games while all you did when you were a kid was avoid entering the house until absolutely necessary
You are surprised that the expletives you learnt when you were 18 are mouthed off by kids one-third your age
You realize you still have a lot of things to achieve that you had planned to by the time you would be 30
You start listing realization lists such as these and expect people to acknowledge the same
You finally accept you are getting old and decide that instead of brooding you are going to welcome this inevitable change in your life with a blast!

Battlefield Nagpur

2010-02-05T20:38:00.001+03:00

The series is being touted as the Championship series where the current No.1 and No. 2 test sides in the world will be at their wits end to conquer each other.

However, both the sides are entering the series with their own share of troubles. India taking field without Dravid against a team with a fine pair of fast bowlers is like swimming in the seas without a life jacket. In the last decade Dravid has been not only the major contributor to her wins at home and abroad against the best sides but also been the best equipped in the team to tackle the pacers and put a prize on his wicket.

Adding to this setback is that Laxman is a doubtful starter which further aggravates India’s woes cause he is India’s big hundred man and the one who sets up the pace of the innings. Missing Yuvraj is no big deal , his performance in tests to say the least, is dismal. It’s time he makes way for the young blokes who are firing on the domestic scene. He is undoubtedly a great T20 and ODI player but I’ve seen him for the last decade and every single time he has failed to impress me as a test player. If you cannot play spin at home and tackle the fast bowlers abroad, you have a problem – he does not seem to have ever acknowledged that. Don’t tell me he never got enough opportunities with the middle order occupied by the big 4. Ganguly has retired for 15 months now and yet Yuvraj has not seized his opportunity. Compare this with Gambhir in the same period and you will understand what I mean.

South Africa on the other hand are struggling with the recent political mess in their cricket circle – resignation of their coach and sacking of the selection committee. Smith did not want this off-field turmoil on what happens to be one of the most important series of his career.

India does not enjoy a great record against SA – the only team they have not done well against in the last decade. SA also can be blamed for inconsistency – after a stupendous tour in Australia in 2008, they let go the advantage once the Aussies came to SA. They did not have a great test series against Eng recently either. A series which could have been 3-1 in their favour was eventually drawn level by the Poms at 1-1.

If Laxman does not make it tomorrow, India will probably field its weakest middle-order in a decade, a fact that SA’s brilliant two pacers Morkel and Steyn will look to exploit. However, if India play sensibly and weather the initial storm, SA does not have the spin attack to trouble India. If Abhishek Nayar and Pandey could destroy Harris and Botha, it should be easy pickings for Sachin and Co.

My bet is on Gambhir and Murali to take up Dravid’s responsibility. Gambhir needs no introduction – go to any cricket website and check out his performance in the last 15 months! The bloke is on a roll, what’s more is that he can transform his game as per the situation and need of the moment. So Sehwag can still go hammer and tongs and we will rely on the hope that Gambhir will see us through the day. The series gives Murali a good chance to cement his place. Of what I saw of him against SL he impressed me. Straight Bat, the bloke plays as straight as one can and exudes tremendous confidence. The future seems assured, I’m not the only one to put my money on him – most cricket fans I know (whom I’ve very high regard for in terms of their knowledge of the game) rate him high too. So let’s wait and watch.

Bowling still is a worry – Ishaant has to strike form and support Zaheer who is the only one who can run through the side right now. If the spinners don’t strike we are well looking for trouble.

SA has a fairly balanced batting order , each batsmen capable of turning the game on his own – The old war-horse Kallis, Boucher the danger man, Smith the backbone and the youngsters DeVilliers, Prince, Amla and Duminy. Their biggest weak point is the spin attack and if India gets it right, this could well be the reason for their loss in the series.

Unless India wins in SA we cannot tell who is the better side, but before that India needs to get this one right on their home ground. India are being proclaimed as the favourites in this series and that worries me. I’ve been watching cricket for last 18 years and I’ve a theory which is a proven fact – We do far better when we are underdogs, place the favourites tag on us and we are bound to fail or underperform. So I’m going to put SA as favourites in terms of their stable batting order and pace attack, and therefore if we draw the series we have done a good job.

I would love to see India win and will be cheering for them, but if you ask me where I’d put my money – I’d play safe and put in on a drawn result.

What about you?

The secret behind Calvin and Granger Gab…

2010-02-02T18:57:00.001+03:00

Solilo brought up this interesting topic and it inspired me to get the rust off my blog that has been quiet for 7 days. My offline life has been too busy hence no blogging. In these busy times I’ve realised the importance of Twitter.

So here goes the secret behind my online identity i.e. my Gravataar

The pic is constant on my blog and twitter ids – I’ve not changed it since the inception of my blog. Calvin with a pencil in his mouth in a pondering mood – rare picture isn’t it ? Calvin, the hyperactive soul, sitting peacefully. Hyperactivity is my middle name, the only time I’m quiet is when I’m on this blog or rather my online world, but then again I’m chatting online! Calvin is my favourite character. According to me, he is a genius ( created by a genius too) whom no one appreciates:-) Secretly I wish that if I ever have a son, he should be like Calvin. He is a rebel, constantly questioning the norms - something I did all my life and drove my parents insane in that department. Of course I was no where close to the brat he is, though after reading his adventures I wish I was. Only child, imaginary friends – I empathize with the little bloke, and I identify with him! That picture on my blog reflects me completely - A million thoughts going on in my mind and very few that see the light of the paper, the only time I’m quiet for my offline folks. One of my favourite bloggers, Sujatha once told me, “My son( who is called little C after Calvin on her blog) is a huge C&H fan and whenever I see his C&H books I remember you!” I was most touched by her comment.

The name for the blog was easy. When everyone I knew from school read Harry Potter, each one of them called me up to tell me that Minal, damn it Hermione is you! Yeah there I was, geeky in school, always the first to finish her papers, well-read before the teacher commenced the topic and always the first one to raise her hand to answer a question! Non-stop chatter and sometimes a little high-handedness with my friends; I can imagine how they would’ve hated me in those times. Like Hermione I cared too much and still do, for my friends and loved ones. Like her I was never among the beautiful ones in my class ever. The geekiness went away in Engg. and MBA colleges - probably cause I met a lot more real nerds or geeks! I was bookish and not supremely talented in anything else, I would devour books, if anything caught my interest, the R&D on the subject would be done and completed till I knew the topic at the tip of my tongue. When I read Potter, Hermione Granger reminded me of my lost identity. She is my favourite - loyal, warm-hearted, a little snooty, fearless, inquisitive, does not take nonsense and loves to talk! So that's why the blog aptly titled Granger Gab

Now, only if someone had told me after watching the movie that you look like Emma Watson - that would've been the icing on the cake but sigh I don't! Emma is a lovely, lovely girl! I'll just take pride in the one dimple on my cheek I'm blessed with; thanks to my brother. When we were both aged 3 years, he crashed me into the corner of a table leading to a permanent dent now famous to others as the dimple on my cheek! I've not thanked him enough for that accident. What a gift he gave me unknowingly.

Solilo thanks for asking us the question and there you have my long answer! It would’ve been too long a comment and hence I thought a blog post would be better!

Celebrating 60 years of being a Republic

2010-01-26T19:23:00.001+03:00

Happy Republic day to all. The post comes late in the day cause I was at work. When you are abroad, one of the perils is being at work on Independence Day and Republic Day. Missed the parade again. I remember running from school after the flag hoisting ceremony to catch the parade live.

However, luckily got to attend a short but lovely ceremony at DIFC, Dubai. SBI Dubai organized the program for all. While we sang the National Anthem along with the clipping below; as always my heart swelled with pride, got goose bumps and felt a tear in my eye.

India is special undoubtedly, and it pinches me real hard to be staying away from her. My mother, my beloved country. Saluting her indomitable spirit and leaving you all with two of my favourite renditions of our national anthem.

Jai Hind

Video 1 : Rendered by India’s finest vocalists.

Video 2 : Rendered by India’s musical geniuses.

Takeover of memories is not possible!

2010-01-20T21:00:00.003+03:00

This post was selected for Blogadda's Spicy Saturday Picks

Cadbury finally accepted the Kraft bid after much deliberations and discussions. Ever since the news first fell on my ears somewhere in Sep’09, I was restless.

I know and fully understand there is a certain reason for the takeover. Let’s not get there, the next few days we will see loads of stuff being written by the investment analysts, economists and the business barons. So a novice will not venture into that territory.

For an MBA grad, this will go down in the syllabus as another case study. I do that analysis a lot in my offline world and have studied numerous business cases during my B-School days. Objectively assessing M&A impacts - marketing strategies, the way forward, re-branding, goodwill value, brand value, balance sheet analysis, asset growth, debt obligations, impact on personnel, job losses, etc. My post is not about the technicalities – I leave that to the experts.

My post is from a common man’s point of view.

One who has been an ardent fan of this brand, the products and the adverts.

One who never stopped admiring and was in awe of the famous office at Peddar Road. That lovely CADBURY name embossed in purple-coloured huge letters on the building. I watched it every single day when I travelled to school and later to my B-School.

One who was elated when Cadbury returned to her B-school campus for recruitments after ages; but was completely heart-broken when it had positions open only for marketing buffs and not her chosen finance field.

Yeah, Cadbury had a huge influence in my life. When I was happy, I would go down to the store and grab a Rs5/- mini-bar. Sheer pleasure in simple things! Guess youngsters these days may not identify with these little joys we experienced while growing up. Memories that stay put in your mind even after decades pass by.

Even today, every single time I go to the hypermarket or grocery store, MDH finds me looking at it so lovingly that he cannot help but pick it up; despite my big claims of going off chocolates and cakes. When we were dating he would get me one every single time. He still wonders how this mini-little thing brings so much joy to my face.

No occasion in my life has gone without the presence of this amazing chocolate bar. I love its basic form. The simple plain Cadbury Dairy Milk bar in all shapes and sizes - the mini-one which had different animals and the medium-sized one with mini-cubes. I loved the amazing Cadbury Nutties too. I never shared them with anyone, it would pinch to spare one to anyone – it still does, though now I’m courteous enough to ask others when I’m hogging them away to glory.

There used to be times in college when I used be so hungry, tiffin was empty and trying to resist eating canteen food, I’d hop over to a grocery store or my canteen, pick up a mini-bar or the nutties pack, and it would help! Seriously help. The tummy would be full and I’d be relaxed.

I don’t eat foreign chocolates a-la Ferrero Rocher, Toblerone, Hershey etc. I know Cadbury is a British Company but it does not taste the same everywhere. So for me it was the company’s India arm that made those products with delicious taste.

The reason this chocolate charmed its way into our hearts was because of its remarkably simple advertisements. They depicted emotions – emotions of real people, like you and me. Situations you and me found ourselves many a times. We identified with them. The ads had the most hummable jingles - jingles that remain memorable and will never be forgotten.

For the people behind the brand and the company, the creative heads behind those amazing commercials that touched our hearts - A Big, Big, Big Thank You. You have assured that even though Kraft gets ready to takeover the Cadbury Brand , it will not be able to takeover our memories of you.

Yeah all you finance geeks and M& A experts try valuing our memories of Cadbury, we can bet that Kraft cannot afford them, at least in this lifetime because they are priceless.

Leaving you with some of my favourite Cadbury moments:

This is my ultimate favourite of the ads that ran over decades. Obvious reasons – pick my first love and combine it with my favourite chocolate. It remains ‘Bahut Bahut Khaas’ (Very Very Special). Video
Whenever I saw this ad – I identified with Omang Kumar – numerous times when I was walking home alone and eating my chocolate bar- the exact same thing happened with the exact same expression! Video
I did not try this on my mehendi day – there were no chocolate bars lying around! Thank god for that – I agree with her, you cannot resist it! Video
Cadbury replacing coconut for auspicious occasions – Yummy. Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye. Video
The delight of reaching school on a rainy day and discovering it is closed for the day! Video
And as a gift for Rakhsha Bandhan – why not. Rishte Yeh Pakne Do! Video
When the postmen visit our homes for Diwali we think of the ‘special bonus’ we need to give them, this ad showed the reverse – how they gifted us an even more special bonus – a bonus of double the joy that comes from being together and sharing happy moments. I love Sulabha Deshpande’s reaction though! Video
If this one won’t bring a smile to your face, tell me what will? Tell me secretly weren’t you elated when the grandpa managed to rip the young bloke apart – literally! Video
You will always need a reason to be sad or angry, you will never need a reason to be happy, just happy. Think of the million times when you were happy without a reason and thought “Mein Khush Hoon Aaj Khamaka Yaaron! Video

A friend’s FACEBOOK status said - “CAD-BURIED”. He is right about the company but not the memories associated with it – those will never die and be buried.

Stubbornness is Hereditary!

2010-01-18T19:02:00.001+03:00

Mumma is here since 2 months and will return to Mumbai on Saturday. In her last three trips to my house, no not house, let’s focus - my kitchen, in Dubai; she has had one complaint that my food processor does not grind dry spices/mixtures.

I make do with a mini-chopper which grinds it coarse and not fine. However mumma-the perfectionist, refuses to accept that coarse mixture. From the day she has landed, her only aim has been to find me a mixer that is similar to the one we get in India a-la Sumeet type.

The region known for famous brands in electronics and home ware appliances does not seem to have the kind of mixer she wants. So finally after a month of hunting, we came close to buying a Kenwood one which resembled the one she had in mind.

It was taken,brought home and inaugurated. Much to her chagrin the arrangement of the blade and the grinding vessel was exactly reverse to the one she had in mind.

So now it has been a further one month and she has still not stopped complaining. Her sole aim remains to buy me a one that can grind dry spices/mixtures. Well I’ve not given up either – trying to convince her that she comes here for 2 months in year and it’s fine not to have those kind of curries done, I manage to survive with my arrangement.

An Aquarian and a Capricorn are at loggerheads over a mixer and people wonder why I’m stubborn! Well now you know – it is in the genes – it is hereditary! So all of you, who know me - stop complaining – the stubbornness is not going away even if I try!

What draws a fan to watch the game..

2010-01-14T22:32:00.001+03:00

Not the star players, not the big names, not the international stage, not the corporate franchises, not the big auctions, not the coloured clothing, not the half-clothed cheerleaders, not the millions spent on marketing gimmicks, not the shortened versions but the most basic need – “An equal contest between the bat and the ball.”

The match I’m referring to lacked the big names – Tendulkar, Dravid, Zaheer, it was not an international encounter, it was not the IPL. It was India’s premier domestic league – the Ranji Trophy final match between the best two teams in the nation. The Karnataka Vs Mumbai final in Mysore. The 5 day contest – the one which is termed boring. The one which Mumbai won by 6 runs amidst a million heartbroken Karnataka fans.

The most heartening aspect was the crowd turn-out and the spectators glued in to the internet from all over the world. The crazy cricket buffs- the true fans of the game – the ones I know who revere the 5 day game -were totally glued in. This brought a smile to my face. Who the hell says test cricket or the the 5 day contest is boring? Take the recent test matches in SA and Aus, and now this amazing final. Boring, you call this boring? Compare the viewers glued in to Idea Cup – the international tri-series competition and the Ranji Final. The latter will win the honours hands down.

The pitch was a fine example as to what the BCCI needs to build at all venues in the country. This will avoid dull draws and prepare the batsmen better to face green tops and give the bowlers confidence to do well on the bigger stage. Keep it equal, I’ve had enough of batsman hitting bowlers all over the park and run-rates of 6 an over seeming low. You could well not have any bowlers and put those bowling machines in if all you want to watch is batsmen get runs. Please get rid of that.

There is no need to re-format the shorter versions, making bikinis from business suits. When you need limited fun put the swimwear and go to the beach, when it is serious business – devising strategies, chasing targets and beating the competition- get those business formals out. Don’t you dare change test cricket – none of you who are sitting in ICC and BCCI. It does not need any change – get good pitches and the crowd will come in on its own. Stop driving the world crazy with your stupid marketing gimmicks – invest instead on the budding players and grounds. Ensure good cricket will be played and fans will step in automatically. A true fan of the game looks for what he knows best – a good contest between the bat and ball.

Let the ball seam, let it swing, let it bounce of the deck, let it be short and let the batsmen pull, hook, duck, sweep, and earn some applause for a delivery well left rather than well hit. Yeah give me some of that!

Let’s have some pure unadulterated fun. I did not get to see the match live cause there is no telecast here in Dubai, but from what I read; the Karnataka and Mumbai pacers bowled extremely well on a pitch that had something for everyone. The batsmen with grit would survive and Manish Pandey showed what to do with the pitch. I’ve seen the bloke in the IPL and he seemed a good potential for the future, 144 of 151 balls chasing 334 to win on a good pitch is proof enough what this bloke can do!

At the end, it turned out to be the kind of game where one would feel heartbroken and elated at the same time. 6 runs was the victory margin, 6 runs, it was not a game for heart patients! Sigh!

Once again – kudos to the teams, kudos to the curator and more kudos to the crowd who thronged the stadium to watch – what we all know – CRICKET - The real 5 day game!

Best of the Decade – Indian Test Bowling Performances

2010-01-13T00:22:00.001+03:00

This one was due 10 days back! Reasons for delay not being reported here cause I don’t want to spoil the mood as we go down the memory lane again.

Even though it is the batsmen who rule the roost, I’ve firmly believed that to win a test match you need to take 20 wickets. That’s the basic rule of test cricket, bowling is often a thankless job but it is by far the most important one.

So here are my picks of the decade:

1. Anil Kumble: 14-5-29-1 Vs WI, Antigua 2002

If you do not understand why this figures on the top of my list, you have just insulted India’s most affable cricketer. A lion at heart,a true fighter, the man who can replace the word “Gentleman” in dictionary.

I’ve seen people run away from the field with the slightest of injuries, this man bowled with a broken jaw. Takes guts, takes great courage and takes a truck load of patriotism. His 619 wickets and awesome hundred at Lord’s can be kept aside. This one act of his, puts him in World Cricket’s Hall of Fame.

Hit by Merv Dillon in the first innings it looked unlikely he would bowl. Despite no result in sight, he did not shy away. Stepped out with a bandaged jaw, bowled consecutive 14 overs and scalped Lara – and Jumbo won a million hearts all over again.

2. Ajit Agarkar: 16.2-2-41-6 Vs Aus, Adelaide 2003

No cricketer has disappointed me as much as he as. We had too many hopes pinned on him. But this one bowling performance of his will always find a place when the best bowling performances are listed.

Aus batted for 2 days and hit 550+. Dravid-Laxman came together, put up a fantastic effort, and India batted till morning of day 4 falling short by 30 odd runs. The match looked all set for a draw until Agarkar came onto bowl and turned the tide. Used the short ball to perfection and swing to his fancy, never giving the Aussies any reprieve, bagging 6 wickets in the process with the key wickets of Langer, Ponting and Katich.

Aus was bowled out for 196 and India went to record its first win in Aus since MCG 1981

Adelaide 2003 remains a jewel in the many victories that this Indian team brought us. Along with Dravid and Laxman, Agarkar deserves the credit for it.

3. Harbhajan Singh: 37.5-7-123-7 & 30.3-8-73-6 Vs Aus, Kolkata 2001

The series could not have begun on a more sorry note. Bad loss in Mumbai and no Kumble/Srinath for the series. India practically had no bowling attack – Zaheer was no where close to the bowling he does today and Prasad was not the most helpful bowler on Indian wickets.

In Mumbai, Harbhajan Singh had showed glimpses of what he could offer, but Kolkata was his platform to let go. The first hat-trick in test cricket for an Indian bowler and he had the Aussies reeling at 291/8 at close of the first day’s play. What transpired over the next 4 days is well-known.

Kolkata 2001 will always be Laxman’s test, but let’s not forget that if the young bloke, all of 20, had not spun his magic – the match could have well been drawn. Until tea on the final day Aus looked good to save the match; but Bhajji with little help from Tendulkar triggered the Aus collapse to give India a memorable victory. If not for Laxman, Bhajji could well have been the man of the match.

4. Anil Kumble 30-10-72-6 Vs Pak, Multan 2004

He is responsible for majority of the Indian team’s victories. There have been very few times when he has been called upon and not delivered. It was only fitting that he deliver, in what would be one of the finest moments in Indian Cricket. Just as he had the Pakistani batsmen in a trance in that match in Kotla in 1999, he proved to be their nemesis yet again.

On their own home ground, the batsmen found it difficult to read Kumble’s deliveries and kept getting beaten by the flight. It was only appropriate that India’s war horse guide them to their first ever win in Pakistan.

5. Anil Kumble: 22.4-3-78-6 Vs WI, Sabina Park 2006

After sparking an unlikely revival, ably supporting his captain and long-time friend on Day 1; it was only appropriate that he would script the victory for India in 35 years on the Windies soil.

In one of the most low-scoring matches, the pitch seemed to offer more assistance to India’s spinners than WI pacers. Bhajji bowled the WI out for 103 in the first innings with a 5-wicket haul enabling a comfortable 77 run lead for India. Any score above 250+ in the final innings would be tough to get and India managed to make the target 269.

Kumble came onto bowl and despite resistance from the young Ramdin and Bravo, Kumble ran through the WI line to gift India a much deserving series win in WI.

6. Harbhajan Singh: 28-2-63-6 Vs NZ, Hamilton 2009

If the pacers showed the way in the first innings followed by a brilliant knock by the maestro, it was only fitting that the this young sardar bowled us to victory.

Many of us have been critical of the lad – for not being consistent enough but he has bowled when it mattered and how. Post Kumble, Harbhajjan has shouldered the responsibility fairly well and yes, occasionally he does drift but it does not take long for him to come back! And as my cricket expert friends (with whom I rarely debate) say – ‘If Bhajji gets to flight the ball and vary his pace he can be a tough nut to crack.’ This match proved the theory yet again!

A little bit of assistance from the pitch and Bhajji can work wonders just as he did in 2001.

His 6 wickets ensured India ended another drought and now that leaves only the shores of Aus and SA to be conquered in the coming decade.

7. Zaheer Khan: 21-5-59-4 & 27-10-75-5 Vs Eng, Trent Bridge 2007

After not so great previous seasons and having been kept out of reckoning, Zaheer Khan redefined himself on this tour. After an uninspiring show in the first test, he came out firing from all cylinders against the Poms.

A 4 wicket haul and classic display of swing and seam in the best conditions, Zaheer gave India a great start where England was found reeling at 169/7 and eventually getting bowled for 198. India lead the charge with 481 runs.

The jelly bean prank backfired, since an agitated Zaheer came back in the 2nd innings spitting more venom at the England batsman. His spell with the second new ball wrecked havoc; swinging the ball both ways and giving a torrid time to the batsmen. Sadly we do not have statistics that reflect the number of times the bowler beat the bat , if we did Zaheer would be topping those statistics.

He was the key architect of the Indian series victory packing a neat 18 wickets off the series.

8. Amit Mishra : 26.4-8-71-5 Vs Aus, Mohali 2008

In the absence of Anil Kumble due to injury, one wondered who would assist Bhajji in the spin department. The young Mishra was called and how he delivered, making us forget that he was making his debut.

If persisted with, he and Pragyan Ojha will make good support for Bhajji. Hopefully the selectors persist and the bowlers continue to deliver.

Mishra did not get much turn but he was not afraid to challenge the batsmen by tossing the ball and that spoke much of his attitude in his first test.

To ensure we did not miss Kumble, was a master achievement and for this effort he makes it to my favourite list.

India eventually amassed a huge lead and landed Aus its biggest defeat in a long time.

9. Laxmipati Balaji 19-4-63-4 Vs Pak, Rawalpindi 2004

Wonder why one time wonders are on this list? Well am not comparing the best bowlers – I’m just listing the match/innings based performance, so today L.Balaji may be in obscurity but recall the famous Pak win in 2004 and you will never dissociate his name from it.

His contribution made a difference to that win and so he earns a mention in the decade best list. Selected ahead of Ajit Agarkar, the inexperienced Balaji justified his selection by lending a great support to Pathan and Nehra in the series. The trio ensured that India would not miss Zaheer and Bhajji.

Balaji had his limitations as a bowler and he bowled well within those; to the extent that he did a swell job swinging the ball. He did lose his way in between but came back well when he stuck to his line and length and made the batsmen play his deliveries.

The result - 7 wickets in the final test sealing a fantastic series victory for India – her first in Pakistan. He undoubtedly was the find of this tour but sadly disappeared soon due to injury.

But his contribution cannot be forgotten and is engraved in the history books forever.

10. Irfan Pathan: 26-3-80-2 Vs Aus, Sydney 2003

Not a match-winning performance, not a one that ripped through a batting line-up. In fact Pathan started miserably with the new ball in the Aus innings. So what is it doing here superseding Ishaant’s and Zaheer’s efforts in NZ.

The reason is the Gilchrist dismissal in the last over of the day. A perfect yorker. Remove Irfan from the frame and just watch that delivery – you will tell me it is Wasim Akram bowling. The young lad, all of 19 then, on his debut series, made everyone sit up and take notice of him with that one delivery.

Gilchrist left the field a shocked man. The ball had rattled his stumps and he must’ve looked up to convince himself that it was not Wasim he was facing.

Oh yeah and Irfan had also bagged Steve Waugh’s prized wicket – this was Tugga’s farewell test.

Sometimes results don’t matter – moments do; and Irfan has given one such moment to treasure that will last a lifetime.

Cupcakes or Games?

2010-01-09T19:06:00.002+03:00

Creativity at its best!

Have your game and eat it too:-) Robin Dahlberg is a genius

Mommies on my list are gonna love this - planning one for your awesome kiddos?

http://www.steelheadstudio.com/100cupcakes/

55er: Start to the New Year-Decade

2010-01-09T17:49:00.002+03:00

Confusion, dealing with needlessly egoistic relatives, tolerance levels giving away, realizing which people really matter, determination to pursue a passion ignored for long, pending blogposts , renewed faith in justice, inability to cope up with dimwits, missing close friends who moved to India, loving every bit of having mom and in-laws at home in Dubai!

P.S: Go ahead tell me about yours but in 55 words only!

The Best of the Decade - Bollywood Movies

2010-01-02T20:09:00.001+03:00

Picking just 10 movies is a god-damn tough task, especially in a decade where we saw the directors mature, the story-writers blossom and some ingenuity flow in.

I’m therefore going to try and walk on water by restricting my choice to only 10 best of the decade – my favourites in no specific order of preference. Not the best hits, not the top grossing ones, but movies I can watch a million times again and again on my DVD player without getting bored. So here goes my list.

1. Lagaan (2001)

If you follow this blog or know me in the offline world – this is no surprise right? A movie on cricket with Aamir in it, has to be in the list. Well yeah and much more than that – it depicted India in its raw sense, it depicted hope and struggle, it depicted life! Tell me it is inspired and tell me it is copied – makes no difference to me. I’ve watched it a million times, and every time I shout with the same excitement while cheering Bhuvan’s team. If a movie is able to entertain the viewer on repeated viewing – the movie is a class act – no documentary or statistical evidence required. It made it to the top 5 at the Oscars – what more would you ask? A.R.Rahman wove another brilliant score and Lagaan remains our crowning glory.

2. Dil Chahta Hai(2001)

If you have been 3 friends growing up together – you’d love this movie. Farhan Akhtar redefined what a Bollywood film is all about. Quick wit, sarcasm, emotion and a little drama. Fantastic script – well nothing extraordinary actually – just about friends. The real thing, the wise-cracks, the digs we would take at our own friends. My school gang watched this movie on first day together – I cannot forget the blast we had and the way the theatre rocked to the tunes of Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe and Woh Ladki Hain Kahan. Sámeer charmed his way into our hearts(Result - Saif was an instant heartthrob) while we tried hard to get over Siddharth’s (Akshay Khanna) innocent smile and Aamir’s mischievous Akash.

3. Chak De India(2007)

This is my anti depressant. Yeah I watch the movie every time I’m down in the dumps; it cheers me up every single time – the record is still unbroken. Lifted from Miracle verbatim I’m told. And again who cares? I fell in love with Shahrukh’s Kabir Khan decades after falling in love with his Abhimanyu Rai in Fauji and Raj Malhotra of DDLJ.

It’s a movie about girl power damn it – how can you not love it, even if it is copied. The characters immortal – Balbir Kaur, Bindia Naik, Komal Chautala,Preeti Sabarwal , Vidya Sharma stole our hearts!

You cheer them up every time they take the field, you swell with pride when the come close to beating the men’s team, you love them when they bash up the goons at McDonald’s and you drown in tears when they finally win the cup!

Salim-Suleiman gave a priceless gem – Maula Mere Le Le Meri Jaan- I get goose-bumps every time I listen to it.

4. Taare Zameen Par(2007)

What a lovely movie on kids. Could not get better – my eyes well up every time I see Maya flip through Ishaan’s drawing book. Aamir handled the sensitivities brilliantly without getting melodramatic. Darsheel Safary’s Ishaan touched your heart! ‘Maa’ makes me cry every single time I listen to it and Raman rendering ‘Kholo Kholo’ livens up your spirits! Shankar Ehsaan Loy are simply Brilliant.

5. Jab We Met (2006)

I never caught this movie at the theatre and please don’t be surprised that a Kareena Kapoor movie made it to my all-time favourite list. I cannot imagine any other actress portraying Geet. Kareena (though I detest her)was brilliant in this movie and Shahid super cute. I drool like a 14 year old teenager when I watch his Aditya.

There is a line in the movie when Aditya tells Geet “Tum ek unique piece ho, tum khud se bahut pyaar karti hon na?”; to which Geet replies,“Haan mein apni sabse badi favourite hoon!” Without losing a second, MDH turned immediately and looked at me, and said – Yeah that’s you talking!

For this reaction of MDH, that too off a Kareena film and her dialogue; Jab We met makes it to my all-time favourite list of this decade!

6. Jodhaa Akbar(2008)

Forget the lavish sets, forget the exquisite jewellery and clothes, forget the beautiful Jodhaa (You noticed Aishwarya?), forget the story-telling, forget that it is a Ashutosh Govarikar production and one of the finest period movies in Hindi Cinema – just forget all that.

Just think of Hrithik Roshan – just think of him dancing to the Sufi Khwaja Mere Khwaja, think of his controlled mature acting, think of him wooing Jodhaa and then finally think of the bare-chested Hrithik practicing his sword skills. OMG – just for Hrithik Roshan alone I can watch this movie a million times! He is the equivalent of a Greek God!

7. Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na(2008)

It’s a story about us – you and me. It reminded me so much of my college days. Jai and Aditi were absolute delights – the songs even more; and when was the last time you saw a movie with such perfect casting right down to the smallest role, even when it meant acting in a 3X4” frame.

8. A Wednesday(2008)

How many Hindi movies can you recollect, that do not extend beyond 90 minutes, hold your interest till the last minute and have twists and turns that you cannot imagine? A Wednesday is one of the most fast-paced thrillers I’ve seen in recent times with some superb acting from Naseer, Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Aamir Bashir. The movie is to be seen, not to be heard or read about in a review. We should consider ourselves fortunate to have lived and watched Anupam Kher and Naseeruddin Shah – brilliant actors both of them!

9. Lage Raho Munnabhai(2006)

The Munnabhai series brings a smile on my face. Arshad Warsi simply rocks the screen as Circuit. Sanjay Dutt is likeable – Raju Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s success lies in the fact that these two characters have achieved cult status.

The script does not seem lifted from anywhere and Abbas Tyrewalla’s dialogues set the house on fire. When was the last time you laughed so heard that you cried? Munnabhai achieves that – more so in the sequel. How many times have we seen a sequel become a bigger hit than the first movie?

The concept of Gandhigiri did not remain restricted to the film and there was nothing wrong in simplifying Gandhism to the masses in this manner. The message reached to a wider audience and therein lay the film’s success.

10. Iqbal(2005)

If someone told you to never give up on hope and you don’t seem to buy the argument, go watch this movie; you’ll walk out of the cinema house convinced 200%. Iqbal is about dreams and making them a reality. It is really as simple as that. Shreyas Talpade’s Iqbal is loveable and Kukunoor manages to build a strong character wherein despite his handicap you never ever pity him. The handicap is merely incidental to the film and no where does Kukoonoor overplay it like Sanjay Bhansali did in Black.

Iqbal to me was a movie about hope & self- belief; the days I seem to lose it – I regain it back by watching this one on my DVD player.

They didn’t make it to my list but still remain absolute favourites (reasons in brackets):

3 Idiots (An engineer’s story – gosh the movie picked pieces of my life and put it up – yeah like Chetan Bhagat did in 5 point someone;-)

Kaminey (3 reasons – Vishal Bharadwaj, Shahid and Dhan Tan Taana)

Monsoon Wedding (Naseeruddin, Shefali Chhayya and a brilliant story told under 2 hours)

Luck by Chance (For the immensely talented Konkana Sen Sharma, oh do I hear someone telling me it’s a Farhan Akhtar movie – sorry the lady stole the show all the way!)

Paa (Vidya Balan, Arundhati Nag, Vishnu and the little Auro)

Rock On!! (Farhan Akhtar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy!)

Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (Hrithik Roshan and Ek Pal Ka Jeena – reasons enough right?)

Cheeni Kum (Tabu-Amitabh’s banter and the little Sweety)

Chandni Bar (It’s such a hard-hitting movie – left me depressed for weeks. Honestly can’t watch it again, contradicts my introductory paragraph doesn’t it? But I can’t deny the fact that it is one of the best to have come out!)

Bend It Like Beckham (Funny, football and girl power again – oh come on this one is quite enjoyable!)

Mr and Mrs Iyer (Rahul Bose and was it Kokana’s first movie? Hell see it and you will find that hard to believe)

Pinjar ( Urmila Matondakar was superb in this movie, only one probably, where she did not shed her clothes and came out a winner in an unglamorous avatar)

Khakee (I really liked the story and the twists in it – all the actors except Aishwarya were good in their parts)

Page 3 ( Another Konkana classic – Madhur Bhandarkar did a good job- did not get it much right after this one did he?)

Omkara (Othello’s Desi adaptation to perfection – Saif’s Langda Tyagi is Brilliant – Vishal Baradwaj is a genius!)

The Namesake (Tabu alone is enough – rest of the cast is incidental!)

Munnabhai MBBS ( Do I need to repeat point 10 again?)

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (Ranbir Kapoor is the one I place my bets on, for the future – he is sincere and endearing!)

The Personal Decade Wrap Up

2009-12-31T15:08:00.001+03:00

Since I started the best of the decade series, instead of running a long year end post; I’d thought I’d do the decade wrap up – not only the best but the worst as well!

Entered the personal 20s decade.

Lost my favourite cousin brother - all of 25 to blood cancer .

Graduated in Engineering - Confused like Hell.

The terrorists struck the Twin towers, the IT recession struck us new grads.

Had my first tryst with cricket writing – articles published on rediff.com

Started the new job, fell in love with Mangalore and just when the relationship was blossoming – got hit with the MBA admit. Packed my bags and came back to my first love - Mumbai.

Further confusion as the year went by – met weirdos, realized who the true friends are, realized how mean people can be! Realised how badly I miss my best friends, all absconding in the US of A.

Dealt with the death of my father’s 2 dear brothers, both father figures for me - felt orphaned again.

The impossible happened – fell in love! Yeah with the most amazing guy I’ve known.

MBA with top honours, Engagement, Placements, New job, Harsha Ki Khoj, Marriage – it was a crazy year! Never thought in my wildest dreams that I would meet Wasim Akram face-to-face and fetch a compliment from him – Complete Drool!!! Still drool over the experience of those 2 days at the competition. Never imagined that I’d be the first to wed among my school gang! Yeah miracles happen – 2004 proved that for me!

First year of marriage is the toughest; add to it that MDH moved to Dubai and then confusion set in, that lasted into the next year. Started this blog, wrote religiously for a year then laziness set in!

Half of the next year went in a terrible illness and the next half in doing something I never wanted to – move abroad! Ignored the blog completely. Sat home for 5 months doing nothing,literally; till the new job commenced

Aaji made it a memorable year when she came to Dubai – her first trip abroad at the age of 80.

MDH gave me the best surprise ever - finally visited my sis in the UK, one my best trips! Did amazingly well at work – met my soul sisters here in Dubai.

My Big Baby arrived – yeah my first car, my very first SUV! I love Dubai for these things! Moved roles – made the much awaited Ganapati trip to my village with family – decked up like a bride again for the ceremonies

Celebrated the best anniversary till date – MDH made it special with all the surprises planned in the day – fell in love again!

Became an aunt – the girl I knew since we were 3 delivered a baby boy! Freaked me out – I cried with joy when I saw the little one hum a lullaby with his dad! Two more school friends became moms – all boys, WANTED – A GIRL in the NEXT GEN.

4 close engineering friends had kids – all adorable.

Perils of living all over the world - not met any of those 7 brats yet – they are all 1 year olds now!

Last year of the decade was a tough one – saw the worst. Saw my friends fight for justice and glad they finally won – glad I never left their side, glad my faith and trust remained unshaken. Saw my mom being orphaned – Aaji passed away suddenly – it is a loss I have not yet recovered from. But with everything that God takes away from you, he gifts you something new – have patience, will tell you.

Got back to blogging – about cricket, it is blissful; it helps me so much I cannot tell. I can feel the passion back, often wonder what made me ignore it for the last 3 years!

My best friend of engineering days had a baby boy. Held the little one in my hands – got emotional all over again. The hormones are not helping my case!

When you have not had a child yet; realised that you can get away with excuses when girls of your age become moms but there is no excuse when the guys your age become dads, especially when mom knows them well! Damn!

Achieved a milestone – 5 years of marriage,half a decade through! Phew! Yeah no kids still. WHEN? - The frequency of being asked this question in my life only multiplies by the double as the years pass by!

Don’t ask me please! I do not know!

Missed papa every single day, ever single moment; in the decade that his little daughter became a woman.

During this decade, discovered that time and distance has got nothing to do with being the best of friends. Mumbai, Mangalore, Bangalore and Dubai have given me friends I’ll cherish for the rest of my life!

Friends from decades ago – school, grad school, first job and MBA still remain the best! Nothing has changed – the friendship has only got stronger!

It marks the end of the 20s for me – Sob!Sob!Sob! The 30s set in one and a half month from now. Troubled all my friends who achieved this milestone in the last year – now it’s my turn. Trifle sad but looking forward for a new beginning!

Some more good news await – will share it in the months to come;-)

So until then wishing you all a very happy new year and have a great year and decade ahead!

The Best of the Decade - Test Innings by an Indian Batsman

2009-12-30T16:11:00.003+03:00

This post was picked for Blogadda's Spicy Saturday Picks

(In no specific order of preference)

1. 167, V.V.S Laxman - SCG, 2000

If you ever wondered how did Laxman learn to weave his magic wand on 14Mar,2001 in Kolkata, go back a year in Jan’00, to the last test of the disastrous tour down under. He had opened in the test match and single-handedly destroyed the Aussie bowling. His 167 in the team total of 261 was followed by second highest score of 25! That just about explains his dominance over the Aussie attack. The reason why the Aussies respect him a lot can be traced to this very knock.

The innings was intoxication at its best – you would just drown in the beauty and wide array of strokes on display, the ease in his batting, the delicacy of his wrist play! Sigh a-la Azhar in prime form. As a friend once said, “Sachin is God, but there are strokes that Laxman plays at times, which Sachin would only dream of.” I dare not debate with him!

Video

2. 281, V.V.S Laxman - Eden Gardens, 2001

If a list of the best knocks in the history of Indian cricket or World Cricket is written – this one will feature right at the top of the list and stand there undisputed. What he achieved with this knock does not merely amount to an Indian victory to be stored in cricket’s record books. In that one knock, he truly reflected the attitude that John Wright and Ganguly were trying to build into this team – to make them world beaters. In that one knock, he showed that his team was not the one to give up, had the courage to get up and fight, had the courage to conquer all demons and withstand all attacks. In that one knock, he got Dravid out of his self-imposed shell, did wonders to the team’s confidence, and laid the first brick to India’s success in test cricket – of achieving the Numero Uno position. In that one knock, he re-assured the fans of their belief in this team. In that one knock he thanked his family, team-mates and the fans for their undying, relentless support to this crazy bunch.

In that one knock – Laxman weaved his magic forever on us.

Of the numerous shots he played that day – one remains stuck in my head forever – replayed a million times, in awe of this man. Warne bowled a delivery leaving the leg stump, Laxman got behind the delivery, his bat almost facing the on-side and hit the ball in the extra-cover region. That was as classy an extra-cover drive you will ever see but against a ball wide of the leg-stump! Not a single soul moved on the field – Warne stood still wondering what had just happened.

The magic had begun – one hour into the day’s play, my friends called me to check if I was coming to college for the final year project. I had said, “Are you kidding me, did you even see the first hour of play? Laxman and Dravid seem to be onto something special today – cannot miss that. I’m not getting out of the house for the next 2 days!”

I never regretted bunking college for those 2 days.

Video

3. 180, Rahul Dravid – Eden Gardens, 2001

93 runs of 6 innings in his last tour down under was not a memory that could be erased easily for someone who had a 50+ average in tests since his debut in 1996 and was India’s most dependable batsmen. The failure on that tour had played on his mind for long. He looked in good form against Zim before the Aussies set their foot on Indian soil; but double failure in the Mumbai tests had the fans wondering if the demons had been erased at all.

This knock broke all the shackles in his mind, and it was fitting reply to all his critics who had run him down. Did you see the expression when he got to his hundred on day 4? Fist punched in the air, a jump and bat pointed at the press box – Dravid almost mouthing Take That! I cannot forget that – the ever so calm Dravid reacting in that manner. He had finally let the steam out!

The knock resulted in setting up India’s famous win and one of the best test matches the world ever witnessed. The innings transformed him completely and did wonders to his confidence. He has not looked back since then. He has gone to play many pivotal knocks for India in her wins abroad and at home. Till date he remains her “Wall”, the most dependable man in the team – The Best Man ever!

4. 148 Rahul Dravid - Headingly, 2002

In conditions that were fully conducive to swing, Ganguly made the bold attempt to bat first on winning the toss. Dravid and Bangar held fort, one of the finest displays of batting in test match cricket. Dravid’s defence was par excellence and his shot selection impeccable. His innings laid the foundation for the huge total which inspired two fantastic centuries by the Captain and Sachin later next day. This innings set the tone right for the rest of the series, one in which India hardly faltered. A series win was not possible then, but it was fitting that he came back as captain in 2007 to lead India to a series win against the Poms in 21 years.

Video

5. 144 Saurav Ganguly – The Gabba, 2003

If it weren’t for the magic woven by Laxman and Dravid in 2001, this one would be right on the top of my list. Call me a sentimental fool, but I’ve immense respect for Dada whatever people may say about that bloke. He is responsible for India’s turnaround in cricket – he deserves as much credit as anyone else, for India becoming the best side in the world today.

In a test foiled by the rain gods, Ganguly came out to bat when India were 62-3 against Australia’s 323. Along with Laxman he launched a fantastic counter attack against the Aussies. He did not have a great record against them and had dealt with enough sledging from McGrath and Co. This knock was a nice slap in the face at their home ground. They did not expect Ganguly to fight it out and he kept surprising them as always. India took lead in the first innings which made a huge difference to the psyche of the team. The knock defined the series to follow – India was on the backfoot only once in the entire series in MCG. The remaining three tests tilted heavily in India’s favour.

Ganguly has always been the ‘Capital A of Attitude’ installed in this Indian Team.

Video

6. 103 Sachin Tendulkar – Chidambaram Stadium, 2008

The knock helped erase his ghosts of past. The knock helped shut the critics up who always had one sore point against him, that he does not guide India to victory. (I have always disputed that point and the proofs will run into pages!) But more than anything, the knock helped a nation smile. Mumbai’s favourite son had this to say after the knock:

"By no means am I saying this will make everyone forget what happened in Mumbai but I'd like to thank England for coming back and playing Test cricket and we've witnessed a wonderful Test match - people are enjoying cricket the way it's meant to be.

"What happened in Mumbai was extremely unfortunate and I don't think by India winning or me scoring a hundred, people who have lost their loved ones will feel any better. It's a terrible loss for all of them and our hearts are with them, but whatever manner we can contribute to making them feel better we'll make that effort

Somehow it was only apt that her favourite son was responsible in giving the city something to cheer about.

Video

7. 83 Virender Sehwag – Chidambaram Stadium, 2008

As much as Sachin’s knock helped take the ship safely to the harbour, it was Sehwag’s blitzkrieg that set the ship racing like a speed boat. His 83 of 68 not only demoralized the England bowlers but almost sealed the victory for India. A target close to 400 was reduced to 250+ in no time on day 4 and that makes a huge psychological difference. The disdain and total disregard he showed to the England bowlers never got them out of their shell. Sehwag proved once again that on his day there is no one yet born who can stop his hammering.

8. 160 Sachin Tendulkar – Seddon Park, 2009

Sachin’s most tons abroad have gone in vain – either in losses or drawn matches. There have been very few instances where he has hit tons abroad and we have won. There is nothing to fault with him – in the 90s he was the sole performing batsmen until Dravid walked in to keep him company. It’s only since 2001 that India began to record wins abroad and a good unit was built with some excellent batsmen and competitive bowlers.

This knock contributed heavily to Indian’s first series win in NZ in 2009. The master blaster was exquisite and if someone said that this bloke was playing for 20 years and was 36 years old – one would be shocked. The hunger for runs remains unchanged, the balance still perfect. It will remain one of Sachin’s best knocks – he played like the old Sachin would and finally resulted in an Indian victory

9. 137 Gautam Gambhir – Napier, 2009

To last 11 hours and ensure a draw, after being asked to follow-on with two days to go and a deficit of 314 runs, is definitely not an easy task. He has had an awesome two years being adjudged the best player of the year and topping the batting ranks. But for me, this young lad is all about Attitude and Adaptation. He adapts to any situation perfectly – defend, attack, anchor. The bloke can do it all, and he shifts gears with amazing ease! If it comes so easy to him imagine what a great car racer he will make. His attitude is an inspiration for youngsters aiming for the India Cap. Heads down – work to be done – will do it! We need so many more like him.

He is my bet for the future and I am willing to put my money on him. The one guy who has impressed me after the Fab Four, my sole hope that the team will not falter after the 3 big guns of Indian batting call it quits.

Along with Laxman,Dravid and Sachin, he ensured India would see through the day and not squander the lead in the series.

To me he is undoubtedly the second Wall – truly a man of steel.

Video

10. 293 Virender Sehwag, Brabourne ,2009

You don’t need to go to a dictionary to understand the meaning of the word – Mayhem. Just search for this innings and you will get your answer. Sehwag unleashed havoc and terror in one go on the Sri Lankan team that day. What an innings to end the decade for India. I was so freaking irritated when he got out on 293 and I think so was he for the first time in his life. Disappointed on missing a milestone, of being the only person in test cricket to achieve 3 triple centuries.

Sehwag is the mad-man of Indian cricket. I don’t think we will ever have a character like him again. His “I-don’t-care-what-you-bowl-if -it-is-there-to-be-hit-I-will-hit” attitude has more often than not WORKED and worked big time.

At times like this I hate being in Dubai, Brabourne is 20 minutes away from my home in Mumbai. He butchered the SL attack and effectively messed up their confidence. The other batsmen had to walk in and mark their attendance – Sehwag had sealed SL’s fate and ensured India would have it easy on their way to No.1

This amazing filmy video on the terror unleashed by Sehwag here.

It’s only ten best knocks I’m picking but I cannot end the post without mentioning these:

233 Rahul Dravid - Adelaide, 2003

Another Dravid-Laxman partnership, this time around Dravid was in the Groom’s place. Set up India’s win. One of the best knocks I’ve seen. It makes you forget Ponting’s double in the first innings.

Video

270 Rahul Dravid - Rawalpindi, 2004

If he makes a double, India will not lose - this was almost the mantra when India started winning. Stood like a Rock of Gibraltar and was out only when he tried to accelerate. Pakis never looked like they could get him out.

Video

155 Sachin Tendulkar - Bloemfontein, 2001

Sehwag century on debut at one end and Sachin in prime form. Cricketing fans couldn’t have asked for a better viewing. The God and His Follower at their supreme best. India were racing at 4 an over and then at the end of the test match, one was left wondering how could a team that rushed to 350+ in a day could lose the game! Sachin scripted another beauty following his 169 on the previous tour in ‘96.

Video

309 Virender Sehwag - Multan, 2004

First triple hundred by hitting a six when on 295 and that too against Pakistan on their home soil! If it weren’t for those other ten exciting knocks this one was a sure shot in my ten favourite innings of the decade.

Video

These are my personal favourites for different reasons – pure cricketing reasons, sentimental ones, for the attitude change those knocks brought in. I’m waiting to learn about yours!

P.S: Yes best Indian bowling performances and my personal year end wrap up will follow but maybe a day or two into the new year!

The Best of the Decade – Cricket Series

2009-12-29T18:02:00.001+03:00

This is going to be one long post. The year end brings lots of memories – the decade even more. Tried to pick the best of what lies in my memory.

1. India Vs Australia - 2001

This has to be undoubtedly the series of the decade and the best in the history of Cricket! Aussies riding high on a world record, looking to conquer the “Final Frontier” landed on the shores of Mumbai in Mar 2001. They annihilated the Indian Team in Mumbai barring a sparkling batting display by God who produced not one but two gems – 76 and 62. Anyone present at the stadium on that day will never be able to forget the straight drives belted out by the little master. The innings remain stuck in the head more vividly than Gilchrist’s fire-power 100 off 84 balls.

The only time I cursed the curator of the Wankhede pitch for preparing an almost perfect wicket for test match cricket – only to have the Indian batsmen play spoilsport.

Verbal duels between Tugga and Dada followed leading to an interesting “mental disintegration” by both teams. Come Kolkatta Mar 13 and India looked all set to lose the series staring at a 274 run deficit from the first innings and ending the third day at 254/4. Miracles happen – did not believe in it until this day 14Mar,2001 - carved in gold in the history of Indian Cricket! Laxman and Dravid lasted the entire day – India did not lose a single wicket; wiped out the deficit and led the Aussies by 315 at the end of it. It was not defence but an awesome counter attack launched by the two men on everything that the Aussies happened to throw at them. The partnership was good enough to inspire the remaining 9 who bundled out the Aussies in the final session on Day 5. Kolkatta created a history that might never be repeated.

Aussies earned the dubious distinction of being the only team to have lost thrice in the history of cricket after enforcing a follow-on. The match left a permanent scar on the Aussie aggression; the Aussies since then have hesitated to impose a follow-on despite being in the most solid position.

Chennai was another enthralling test and the series saw the rise of Bhajji termed as Turbanator. The series laid the foundation for India to aim for the No.1 status (achieved a month back as the decade drew to an end) and the fascinating Aussie-India rivalry that followed in the decade. If you ask me where did India’s journey to No1 begin – I’d take you back in time to revisit 14Mar,2001 Kolkatta when two men put their hands up and proved the old adage that ‘Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties’. Well, if we get to see such uncertainties we will devour them with great relish and joy!

2. The Ashes 2005

This series paralleled the 2001 series in terms of intensity and tense contests but what puts 2001 on the top of the list is the Laxman-Dravid batting miracle.

Aussies bullied the Poms in the opening test at Lords and it seemed like the old Ashes story would repeat. I don’t remember following any other series not involving India, as closely as I followed this one, ball-by-ball, not missing a single test match!

This was pretty much termed as Flintoff’s Ashes just ad the 1981 series was termed as Botham’s Ashes. 400 runs and 24 wickets pretty much ensured a victory for the Poms. What a pity the guy chose ODI and T20 over tests! I miss him on the field. With no great histrionics on field he played the silent assassin to perfection.

Pietersen couldn’t have asked for a better debut. His SA roots combined with the Aus-Brit rivalry made him a force to reckon with against the Aussies. When these two batted you wondered if the Aussies were batting seeing the aggression being oozed out.

This was the Wizard of Oz’s last Ashes in England and how well he said goodbye. He revived the memories of the “ball of the century” when he had Strauss out in a similar fashion in the second test. He took 40 wickets in this series and crossed the coveted 600 figure mark! I miss him too. Don’t you wish that some players remain immortal? Warne was one such player. There will be none as good as him ever again! For a lovely write up when he called it quits – read this piece from another cricket fan I respect, who also happens to be one of my best friends and cricket buddy.

The series went right down to the wire after the first test match. Second one was won by England by a mere 2 runs – Brett Lee and Kasparowicz’s heartbroken faces are still etched in memory. Ponting’s brilliant match-saving hundred at Edbagston along with Warne and Lee for company; and Lee and McGrath’s rejoicing at the end of the tense 4 overs was worth savouring. The Trent bridge match was Flintoff’s match all the way – a few hiccups getting to 129. Finally Pietersen ended the series with a stunning 158 at the Oval.

To both the teams we take a bow!

3. T20 WC India Victory - 2007

This was my dream come true – in the form of the game I detest, but hell we beat Pakistan in a World Cup Final. It made up for everything I hate about T20.

Every damn Indian cricket fan I know has cherished this dream and Dhoni’s young brigade made it a reality for us. I can never forget the screams and the shrieking that followed as Shreesanth waited for the miscued hit of Misbah-Ul-Haq, with Pakistan needing 6 runs of 4 balls to win the cup! We almost died of a collective heart failure.

Yuvraj’s sixes of Broad and the hammering lent to Australia, the tied league match with Pak. The first T20 cup in SA had some memorable moments and every time India won we gaped in awe. Who would have expected this kind of performance after the dreadful debacle at the ODI WC in WI just a few months back. The celebrations that followed in the country were humungous and as the Boys in Blue passed my Worli house I was stuck in Dubai following it live on TV with mom on the phone commenting live! Cruel fate wasn’t it?

4. ODI World Cup SA – India’s Dream Run 2003

WTF was my exact expression when Sehwag and Sachin belted sixes off third-man and square against the Pakistani pacers. Chasing 270 odd they had raced to 50+ in a mere 5 overs. The match’s fate was sealed in those 5 overs. Though we lost 2 wickets to consecutive deliveries, Sachin, Dravid and Yuvraj wiped out any hopes the Paki bowlers might have had. Sachin’s 98 of 75 will always be among his best knocks - listed in the hall-of-fame. Pakistan dropped him thrice in the match – so even though it was not a chanceless knock, it was still a priceless gem among the many he has gifted us.

The entire brigade did well barring the league match against Aus which was India’s second match at the Cup. They turned the tide around after that match – not losing a single one on their way to the WC final in 20 years. Sure I was crushed when they failed to win or put up a great fight but the matches against Eng, Pak, SL, and NZ were fantastic. The key to India’s success was its pace attack – Srinath and the 2 left armers – Zaheer, Nehra. They bowled exceedingly well in the conditions – remember Nehra’s fantastic 6/23 against England at Kingsmead. The top 5 batsmen were in the best form and fired when needed ably supported by young guns Yuvraj And Kaif

As much as we rue India’s lost chance, the campaign remains special for the way the team fought and looked the next best team to the dominating Aussies in the tournament.

5. India Vs Pakistan 2004

The bliss of a much awaited first ever test series win in Pakistan soil. Remember 1989 – Manjrekar’s solidity and Sachin’s fearlessness against the terrifying Pakistani bowlers. Drawing that series was a victory in itself. The scene set-up again 15 years later was different – the Indian team was more aggressive and assertive having scuffed up some victories abroad by then. Sehwag’s first triple hundred at Multan is unforgettable – only he can think of going for a six and getting to his maiden triple hundred when batting on 295! The series was marred a little by Dravid’s controversial declaration when Sachin was on 194* but the victories at Multan and Rawalpindi pretty much put that in the backburner.

Dravid’s masterful 270 in the third test ensured that we would not lose. Balaji and Pathan did a fantastic job and were ably supported by old war-horse Kumble. The last wicket was that of Kaneria c Ganguly bTendulkar. There could not have been a better ending to this fairy tale.

6. South Africa Vs Australia 2008

This one makes my list only for the awesome run-chase of 414 by the young South Africans. It will not make it to the top spot among the best run-chases of the decade. WI chasing 418 against Australia and winning by 3 wickets is No.1 in my opinion cause Australia was on the top of its game during those years and no one had expected such a comeback after a 3-0 rubbing in the previous 3 test matches. The second best is 387/6 by India against England purely for the sentiments attached to it. The England side was valiant enough to comeback to a terror-stricken country to complete the test series. Kudos to them for their attitude! 11 days following the Mumbai terror attack (one of the worst the country had seen), the run-chase was set up by the Mad-Man who blasted 83 of 68 deliveries and later led by India and Mumbai’s favourite son. The victory brought some much needed smiles to this terror-stricken nation.

Going back to the 3rd best run-chase of the decade - Duminy was on his debut and supported AB DeVilliers ably to pull the final plug on the Aussies. Watching the South Africans beat the lights out of the Aussies in broad daylight on their home ground was a delight!

SA won the next test easily and lost the third – setting up an exciting revenge series at home but sadly they lost it without much fight! This is an interesting rivalry building up as SA gains strength with its youngsters and Aus looks to rebuild the void left by Langer, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, Hayden.

7. T20 World Cup – Pakistan Victorious 2009

When was the last time before this event that I was happy to see Pak win; let me recollect – Never. I like their players – I am a huge fan of Wasim Akram but the fandom ends at that. I do not cheer their wins but this time I did. They have not had any international cricket thanks to the terrorism in their country and the World Cup too has been taken away post that dreadful attack on the SL players. I’m not sympathetic to the country but to the players yes. No athlete deserves to lose out on the opportunities cause of the political mess his country is in. They are a bunch of talented blokes – sheer raw talent and the world needs to see it. We need the Pakistani team – heck how will we enjoy India-Pak rivalry?

I was glad they won the cup, they needed it and their country needed it much more. The players to re-assure themselves that they are competitive enough for the world cricket and the country cause in the numerous terrorist attacks only this good news could help bring a smile and forget the woes for a little time.

8. VB Series – Aus/SA/NZ - 2002

This series was one of the most interesting ones wherein the pendulum kept swinging in favour of SA and NZ and Australians were never in contention for the final race. I don’t recollect that happening in a tournament that involved Australia at their home ground.

The series most memorable for Shane Bond’s outstanding bowling. Why he was never able to sustain himself is such a mystery, he is a delight to watch! Sad we get to see so less of him! NZ were led splendidly by Stephen Fleming. My favourite though were the two knocks which I caught live on television. Cairns’ century against SA and Bevan’s century against NZ; the two innings and the two matches had the same script written all over again in a span of 10 days.

Cairns walked in at 73/4 in the 19^th over chasing 244 and hit a marvellous 102* enabling NZ to win by 4 wickets. We witnessed a re-run of the match with a different cast later. Chasing 246, Aus was reeling at 82/6 against the Black Caps when Bevan produced the magical innings of 102* to glide them through. However Aus failed to make it to the finals and the two better teams in the tournament were through. SA finally won the series

9. Commonwealth Bank Series India/Australia/Sri Lanka

This was India’s moment of glory and a fine revenge after the much maligned Sydney Test. Gambhir was the pivot in the league matches and scored 440 runs at the end of the series. Dhoni played the perfect finisher but the finals belonged to Sachin Tendulkar. His innings in both matches helped set up wins for India. The young bowling brigade of India – Sreesanth, Bhajji, Pathan, Praveen Kumar and Ishaant bowled extremely well to guide India to its win in Australia after 23 years!

10. India Vs Australia - 2004

This features in my list purely for my love for Tugga’s side not Ponting’s blokes. This was the side whose foundation was laid in Taylor’s reign and ruled supreme under Tugga’s leadership. Steve Waugh was a heartbroken man after the 2001 series loss; the one land which he so badly wanted to conquer remained unconquered during his reign.

I’m extremely clear about my feelings for Ponting. He is a great batsman but a miserable example for his team-mates in terms of attitude off and on the field. His brashness has rubbed on to his teammates leading to fiascos such as the Sydney test which had his own country men turn against the team. Therefore, if Ponting had captained in the winning test match it would’ve been painful – but he was out due to injury and one of my favourite Aussie players Adam Gilchrist, led his team to a fine victory.

The final score read 2-1 but it was never a close series. Australia had the upper hand from the first test. India put up a spineless defence marred by injuries to Sachin and Ganguly’s last moment back out from Nagpur match after seeing the green top. The series saw the birth of another fine player – Michael Clarke whose century debut reminded me of Steve Waugh of the earlier days. McGrath and Warne could not have asked for a better last series in India! The Aussie team had finally won their “Final Frontier”, a dream long cherished by Waugh!

Those are my favourite series of the decade – and you were saying yours were?

The 3 Idiots in Us…

2009-12-26T21:05:00.002+03:00

The first question arising in the minds of all those readers of ‘5 point Someone’ is how “inspired” is the movie from this book. Rajkumar Hirani, prior to release of the movie, kept saying that it is only inspired from the book and is not an adaptation of the book itself. Just like Slumdog Millionaire was ‘based’ on Vikas Swarup’s ‘Q & A’, 3 Idiots is also based on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘5 Point Someone’. The basic plot of 3 students entering IIT ( here renames to ICE) remains the same. The movie and the book’s story differs. A few chapters from the book are entwined to form a different story. Let’s give credit to both – Chetan Bhagat and Rajkumar Hirani.

Chetan Bhagat penned a marvellous piece - a piece all we engineering grads(even though we did not make it to IIT but made to the states' best colleges) identify with. Rajkumar Hirani identifies the hidden message of “the education system gone wrong and people stuck in the indefinite rat race” and combines the two. Not his brilliant best but a great effort nevertheless.

Rancho, Raju and Farhan are not Alok, Hari and Ryan. Raju is the character closest to Alok. Rancho seems more based on Ryan but has a dark secret like Hari. Some events from the book are lifted such as Hari-Neha’s romance, Alok’s suicide attempt, the final climax of theft. But Hirani adds his own twist even to the sub-plots. It’s a story re-told, in a manner how he would’ve written the book.

Through his previous two films, Hirani with minimal melodrama and the usual Bollywood gibberish, kept his viewer tied to the film at every moment. I’m not sure I can say the same about 3 Idiots. The overall package is delightful but some scenes could have been avoided and the movie definitely needs some editing.

That whole scene about the baby delivery on a ping-pong table via a webcam and the kid kicking at All Izz Well could’ve really have been done away with. Pia’s wedding melodrama – the typical bollywood style could also have been avoided! A trifle hard to believe that she waited 10 years to finally cave in to marriage to the same Price Tag Character. And even more surprising is that Price Tag waited 10 years for a girl who dumped him. It could’ve been more realistic to bring in another guy or not bring anyone at all.

The plot though is witty, especially interactions between the professors and the 3 Idiots. Loved that bit about definition of a book, FARHANITRATE and PRERAJULISATION, Induction Motor and Exam Papers. My favourite scene though was the one where Chatur (Handicapped with Hindi) delivers the hilarious speech twisted by the mischievous Rancho. The theatre was in splits at the kiddish gimmick – but it works to tickle the audience.

Aamir is brilliant yet again, his Rancho steals your heart. He looks a very believable 19-20 year old with his gait, innocent looks and wise cracks. He is undoubtedly one of the finest actors of our time. No two thoughts about that! Madhavan is a favourite of mine since the Banegi Apni Baat days. I have liked him in every damn movie of his, his innocence is charming. But Sharman Joshi takes the cake – his amazingly simple face. He gets away with the wittiest of remarks while keeping a straight face and he shines in two scenes for me – one at his interview and the second when facing rustication. I liked the guy who played Chatur too. Brilliant – especially in that teacher’s day scene! Oh to keep a straight face and act that scene out knowing what the dialogues mean! Tough act for him and he does a brilliant job.

Kareena is good in the few scenes she is present – very true to her Geet in Jab We Met. Boman Irani is ok and we don’t grow to like him despite him being the villain; unlike the previous two Hirani movies where we loved Dr. Asthana and Lucky Singh. Irani’s Viru Sahastrabuddhe a.ka. Virus just does not grow on you and I felt this is another place where 3 Idiots falls short as compared to Hirani’s previous 2 movies.

I thought that the music was fairly decent and the songs were incidental to the plot not forced as is in most cases. Shreya Ghosal and Sonu Nigam are wonderful in the ‘Zoobi Doob Song’. I’m absolutely in love with ‘Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh’ – Shantanu Moitra brings back the magic of Parineeta and Yahaan in this number. ‘Give Me Some Sunshine’ and ‘Jaane Nahi Deenge’ are good numbers too. In fact the one song which is a super hit and will almost be a national anthem just did not impress me in terms of music! Just my opinion, you could differ.

And finally, the movie gets you all nostalgic. It took me back to my engineering days where the average performers were not even recognized. If I go back to college today, I know only a couple professors will recognize me. My engineering memories are about my friends and about the weird characters I met. I thank them all for teaching me what life is all about! The pressure to do well in college was killing at times but I know some blokes and gals around, helped me in having fun and enjoying those crazy 4 years. I will never forget them for the rest of my life!

As the book was about real life characters whom we all have met in our life, the movie too keeps these characters real. I’ve met a Rancho in my engineering college, he was not as mischievous in the plot but he defied the norms of the education system degree, he is doing great in his life today.

I met a Chatur too in my college – many of them in fact and we average students were so looked down upon by them. I have no clue what he is upto – might be a millionaire by now:-) He mailed me once after my cricket articles were published on the net, expressing surprise at my ‘hidden talent’ – I never replied – don’t think he deserved one. I don’t need a stamp of approval from blokes like him. And there was another one who was pursuing his MS in the US of A and expressed surprise after learning I was among the top 5 in my MBA college!

We have at some point in our lives been victims to the peer pressure and the indefinite rat race. All toppers in our schools, but lost in the competitive world just like Raju and Farhan. I did not get to pursue my passion as my profession but atleast I’ve kept it going as my hobby.

The 3 idiots helped me reminisce lots of old memories. Revisit the lives of my long lost batch mates and secretly hoping that the most ignored ones have done far better than the ones who always hogged the limelight! Importantly, it sends a strong message that the bond of friendship is the strongest cause it does not come with any pre-conditions,expectations or requirements – the only one that is an exception to all the relationships that we have. I truly believe in it – for my friends have been around when it mattered the most.

Hope this movie renders a few lessons to our education system, the boring professors and the ‘my-son-will-be-an-engineer-or-doctor’ parents. Hope they learn to listen to what all the students are trying to say which is summed up beautifully in this number:

"Saari umar hum marr marr ke jee liye
Ek pal to ab humein jeene do jeene do
Saari umar hum marr marr ke jee liye
Ek pal to ab humein jeene do jeene do

Give me some sunshine
Give me some rain
Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again"

Rain Romance

2009-12-13T19:23:00.001+03:00

It is raining in the desert land.Dubai generally gets a week of rainfall every December but last year it had also poured in April. This year the rains have set in and today was the day when this place received it’s heaviest rainfalls.

Needless to say the entire city was in a mess. Roads flooded, numerous traffic jams, and accidents. Dubai is not equipped to handle such rains and a little heavy shower can put the city in complete disarray.

But I love this weather – water all around , time for a nice walk in the rains, hot cup of tea with some onion pakoras! This weather takes me back to Mumbai’s monsoon.

I was ruing being in office today and updated my status message on FB and here is the little surprise I received from MDH in response to it in Marathi:

“Nako priye Ashi tu udaas hou,

( My love do not be so sad)

Sangatine Yaa pavsaat ole chimb hou,

(Let’s get wet together in this rain)

Kadhi kaandaa bhaji tar Kadhi vada paav khau,

(Sometimes let’s eat onion pakora, or sometimes vada paav)

Dubaichyaa Yaa pavsaat aapan harvun Jau”

(Let’s get lost in this Dubai Rain)

Don’t go by the English translation, the original Marathi one had me go all Ga-Ga over him again:-)

Meri Maa Teri Hain Mere Paa

2009-12-11T21:48:00.003+03:00

That’s the song that plays at the end when the titles roll – sung by the 13 year old Auro. Listen to the lyrics carefully, the songs sums up what the movie is about - It’s about Auro and his mom. I’m not going to write about the story as everyone knows it by now, I will only pen down what I thought about this fine movie.

Cheeni Kum is one of my favourite movies – for the simplicity, for the witty dialogues, for the unusual subject, for the wonderful cast. Balki gets it right yet again, this time with bigger names in the industry and he does not use any of the charisma the Big B is known for. Aptly he introduces the Amitabh we have never known in this movie in the delightful role of Auro. Forget the critics saying he is too tall for a 13 year old or looks weird with the hunch and hands dangling. Just forget that, it is too inconsequential when one sees the wonders this 67-year old veteran has achieved.

Amitabh Bachachan is no where to be seen and you fall in love with Auro - his mannerisms, his quick wit, his love for his grandma and mom, his innocence, his friendships and his fears. Despite the rare disease that has cut short his wonderful life, he is not a depressed and sulky kid. His grandma and mother have ensured that there is love all around him and he does not feel lost or alone. Add to it a fine set of friends and teachers at school.

Vidya Balan excels – almost eats up Abhishek making him look like a beauty piece in the house. She is brilliant in almost everything she does – when she confesses to Abhishek about the pregnancy, when she cries to her mom, when she confidently retorts that it is a chromosome glitch when a lady asks her what is wrong with her son, when she sees Auro accept the gift from his Paa on TV, when she hands over the photograph to Auro and when she asks Abhishek to stay away from their life after he steps in again 13 years later. Her eyes talk, they really do and she looks beautiful in her cotton sarees and 3/4th sleeve blouses. After Kajol, here is a lady who can act, and act so well that it touches our hearts.

I loved Arundhati Naag as the mom. I simply loved her. Confident, fun-loving, ever optimistic. What a mother to have, see the scene where Vidya tells her about her pregnancy. All throughout that 5 minute scene she only asks Vidya if she wants the child or not. When Vidya says she is single, unmarried, and all alone, her mom just says one line – “I was all alone when your father passed away and you were 2, at least now you have me!” I almost cried at that dialogue.

But my favourite character in the movie is Auro’s friend Vishnu. The guy is gem, dishing out wise cracks one after the other. Loved that bit about why does Algebra have X and Y – Auro’s explanation takes the cake. Vishnu’s dad is in school as Vishnu has not fared well and Auro goes looking for him. When they meet Vishnu says, “There are times I doubt he is my dad. I’m so cool, he is so uncool; but he has the proof yaar – the wedding pictures and the pictures of him carrying me in his arms after that!”

And the bit where Auro asks him what makes him his father’s son - the common factors. Vishnu’s answers have you rolling in laughter. Two of those here:
“We both are lefty – he uses his left hand to slap and I get the slap on my left cheek.
We both have the same aim in life- my death, but he wants to murder me and I wish to commit suicide.”

I found Abhishek okay. He does a decent job nothing excellent, but then his role does not have much to do either. That bit about media expose could’ve been avoided and maybe a little more focus on developing the father-son bond, a little more maybe. It happens too late in the movie.

The houses of Abhishek and Vidya are beautiful. The whole movie is so scenic you can’t take your eyes of the background.

Quite a few people highlighted that the movie does not depict the struggle and acceptance of Vidya as an unwed mother. She is shown as a successful independent lady. They live in a bungalow and she has a Honda Civic – from no angle has her mom and she been shown as struggling to make ends meet. They seem to come from an affluent background and maybe that helped ease her acceptance by society. And if Balki had focused on that issue, there would be no time left to focus on Auro.

Another point of criticism thrown is about the kids have been shown to be too mature in accepting Auro, kids are not that nice or mature apparently at that age is the argument put forth – Wrong! Kids these days are far more mature and smart than we can think of; I’ve seen the proof. Moreover kids do what they are taught. If parents and teachers can guide them correctly they will tread the right path. And having shown them in such a positive manner, Balki sends a good signal to all.

We have grown up to believe that the world is so bad that we refuse to accept when things are shown in a positive light. Good people still exist on this planet and one cannot take that goodness away. If it was as evil as we make it out to be we would not be alive. It’s the goodness in people’s heart that has kept this world going.

What is wrong when a guy depicts everything positive in his film – do we need to bring in negativity in our reviews by highlighting that he has showed no negativity. Why do we always feel that the negative things are reality and positive things happen only in movies? Has none of us ever seen anything nice and wonderful in our lives? Are we getting that cynical in life that we do not want to see a feel good movie which shows only nice people around? Think about it!

Watch Paa, it’s beautiful; it almost re-ascertains your faith in love, family, relationships, friendships. Without being too melodramatic or bringing in a remorse mood about Auro’s impending death, Paa only brings joy to the viewer and keeps us wanting for more – more of Balki’s movies , more of Auro and definitely more of Bum and Vidya.

P.S: This post was to be put up last Saturday but got delayed. In a span of 6 days I’ve seen another wonderful movie! The post on this one soon. But if you get a chance don’t delay watching the movie – Shimit Amit and Jaideep Sahni get it right again and Ranbir Kapoor is climbing my all-time favourite charts faster than I thought he would:-)

Dubai Tour – A Quick Guide

2009-12-07T20:19:00.004+03:00

A friend from MBA days is soon to visit the Land of Sheikhs . I will be meeting him after 5 whole years and looking forward to catch up after such a long time. He requested that I put up a quick guide on what to do when one lands in Dubai.

The ideal time to visit this place is Nov-Mar. The weather is beautiful and gets even more wonderful in Dec and Jan. It’s also the time when the festivities begin - the Dubai Shopping Festival in Jan, Food Festival and Dubai International Film Festival. Hopefully the current debt crisis will not drive the tourists away! Here goes a quick guide:

Must Visit:

Dubai Desert Safari – The sand dune bashing followed by Arabian camp with sheesha, camel ride, kebabs and biryani, arabic coffee, photo sessions in local dress , henna and finally belly dancing! This is a must on every Dubai tourist’s to-do list. The weather is perfect. My experience 4 years ago here
The Dubai Creek Cruise – For the more reasonable option take the Dhow cruises which serve Arabic meals while for the more lavish one the Bateaux Dubai is a must. The cruise takes you along the Dubai creek for about 2 hours at night and you get to see the city by night – it’s beautiful.
Dubai Museum: It is not a match for museums around the world but when one visits a new place one must visit a museum to learn about the place. The museum features a nice video on the growth of Dubai from a mere oyster trading place to the vast cement jungle that it is today.
Jumeirah Road Drive – Drive along the Jumeirah road at night and enjoy the most up-market area in Dubai – the villas, the cafes, the restaurants, the beach park, the lovely mosques & Burj Al Arab.
Brunch/Lunch at Burj-Al-Arab – The world’s only 7-star restaurant built in the sea. It is Dubai’s pride and the most famous landmark. If you are ready to dent your pocket, you must try the brunch/lunch at the 27th floor Al Muntaha Restaurant. The view and the menu is one hell of an experience.
Madinat Souq : Visit this traditional Souq at the Madinat Jumeirah right beside Burj Al Arab. You may pick up a few souvenirs from the Al Jaber Gallery. The rest of shops are too expensive. The place though has kept its old traditional look and is a famous tourist site.
Dolphinarium at Dubai Creek: The Friday morning shows come real cheap at AED 30/-. The dolphins and seals are a delight to watch and is total paisa vasool.
Discovery Centre and Aquarium@ Dubai Mall: Various species of the water world have been kept in the best possible environment. You will be amazed at seeing the size of some crabs and fishes there!
Lake Fountain at Dubai Mall: Fountains that rise up to 150 mts with the 170+ storied Burj Dubai on one side and the palatial The Address on the other. The musical show is free and lasts for about 10 minutes replayed every 20 mins once the sun sets. It’s not to be missed.
My favourite malls – worth shopping and different from the rest – Dubai Festival City (Take a walk along the waterfront and a free ride in the small Abra there) and Ibn Batuta ( The different displays of different countries are very well done)
Night walks at Dubai Marina and The Walk @ JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) - Lots of restaurants/cafes around both places and excellent places to take a night stroll after dinner or head for a dessert. The Walk at JBR also has an adjoining beach.
The Haridwar of Dubai. This is a place in Dubai Green Community, very far away from the city but if you have friends here, great place to go for a quiet dinner and walk by the lakeside. An amphitheatre in between which ends in a lake, and on the opposite is the Courtyard hotel from Marriott. Restaurant shut at 10.00 p.m. so grab an early dinner here!

Must Ride:

Abra – the open one and the AC one. The open one is cheap and looks scary. It’s Dubai’s waterbus that ferries people across the Dubai creek from Dubai to Deira and back for as cheap as AED 1/-. It’s fun experience. The AC one costs AED 4/- and is more sophisticated. Try both:-)
Dubai Metro: Though only ten stations operational this is a must ride for all. Those who come in from Mumbai will appreciate it a lot more. The stations are suave, the trains tiny and the ride is pleasant. It runs parallel to Dubai’s best highway – The Sheikh Zayed Road and offers a great view. There are stations at the 3 famous malls of Dubai – Deira City Centre, Mall of Emirates and Burjuman. So hop in and shop and enjoy this joy ride.

Must Try The Arabic Specialities:

Shawarma ( This is a chicken sandwich) @Roadside cafeterias
Arabic – Hamoos, khaboos, Fatoosh & Falafel @ any Arabic joint
Iranian Kebabs
Lebanese Food (Karam or Arz Lebanon Joints)
Fish Basket @ Sharjah ( King Faisal Road)

Must Eat @:

Non-Veg ( Decent for veg also)

Indian/Pakistani Cuisines

1) The Kebab Factory - Burj Old Town

2) Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana – Near American Hospital ( Oud Mehta)

3) Eric's - In Karama, a small restaurant for excellent Goan food.

4) Gazebo - Mankhool, Sharjah, DIC

5) Ceasars - Mankhool, (Multiple cuisines: Indian, Chinese, Continental)

6) Al Quaser – Small restaurant for excellent Kebabs at Al Diyafah Street (Khau Galli – Food Street of Dubai) in Satwa

7) BBQ Delights – Afghani/Pakistani Cuisine at JBR/OudMehta

8) Manwar – Rajasthani Food. Also serves some excellent Pithla–Bhakar(Staple Maharashtrian Diet)

Continental

1) Thai Food: Pad Thai@ Al Qasr & Thai Chi@ Wafi City

2) TGIF and Chilli’s (The molten lava is a must)

3) Portuguese: Nando’s Chicken @ Sheikh Zayed Rd/Greens

4) Chinese: Chinese Village (Sea View Hotel), Nanking & Wok Inn @ Karama

5) Sea Food Market @ Le Meridian near the airport

6) NINA’s @ One and Only One Royal Mirage for a mix of Indian and Arabic cuisines

7) California’s COCO’s @ Sheikh Zayed Road/JBR/Deira City Centre

8) Italian Brunch and Spanish Omelette @ PQ-JBR

9) Dome at DIFC/Burjuman

10) Noodle House – Thai and Chinese

11) Japengo – Japanese Cuisine

Pure Vegetarian Joints

1) Sukhsagar @ Karama/JBR

2) Govinda’s @ Karama

3) SaiDham @ Oud Mehta near Lamcy Plaza

4) South Indian Restaurants – Sangeetha/Sarvana Bhavan/Venus

5) Rajdhani @ Bur Dubai

6) Kamat’s @ Mankhool

And Finally Must Shop

Stolls/Shawls/Pashminas @ the textile market near Bur Dubai Creek. You can get some awesome bargains with some coming in as cheap as AED 8-10.
Gold @ Meena Bazaar or Deira Gold Souq
Spices @ Iranian shops near the Deira Spice Market
Antiques and Dubai souvenirs @ Al Jaber Gallery in Madinat Jumeirah/Mall of Emirates
Candle Stands/Tea light holders @ IKEA, Lifestyle stores and Home Centre
Electronic items at the hypermarkets like Carrefour/ Hyper Panda/ Sharaf DG which give some good offers and are way too cheap compared to India.

My first shopping experience here when I first visited in 2005.

If you plan to stay longer or love outdoors go for some long drives to the nearby emirates.

1) Korfakkan Beach via Dibba

2) Al Ain Zoo and Jebel Hafeet

3) Hatta – Explore the off-roads in the wadis. Ensure you have a SUV/4WD

4) RAK hot springs

5) Umm-Al-Quwain – Barracuda Beach

6) Fujairah

7) Bab-Al-Shams Resort on the outskirts of Dubai

Phew! Quite an exhaustive list and if you need more details you know whom to contact;-) So enjoy your trip to Dubai and do visit this Sheikh land once – it’s not a bad place and I’m pretty amazed with all that has been developed from what was once a barren desert!

And we are No.1

2009-12-06T18:54:00.003+03:00

Not justified? Why should anyone justify – ICC put a ranking system in place 8 years back agreeable to all test playing nations and we passed through that system to gain the top spot. So all those who are shouting hoarse as to how India does not deserve to be at the top, please shout more and lose your voices. Fact of the matter is we are at the top and that’s it!

The details of the ranking system and calculation here.

We have had 3 series wins outside – WI, Eng (2007) and NZ ( 2009). We beat Aus at home in 2008 and drew with SA. Barring SA, the only team to have challenged the Aussies during their decade of dominance was India. Only the 2004 home series was forgettable; while in all others we dominated equally. We won the epic 2001 series, we levelled 2003 series in Australia, 2007 was almost ours if not for that awful,awful Sydney test, and in 2008 we decimated the Aussies at Home.

We won test matches in Eng, WI , Zimbabwe, SL, NZ, Pak and SA in the said period and recorded our first test series wins in Pak(2004) and NZ(2009) and series wins after ages against England(2007) and WI(2006).

Statistics below in terms of matches played and series played.

Particulars	Ind	Particulars	Ind
Total no. of tests played	97	Total no. of test-series played	33
Won	38	Won	17
Lost	24	Lost	9
Drawn	35	Drawn	7
Overall Success %	39.17	Overall Success %	51.52
Home	43	Home	15
Away	54	Away	18
Won – Home	20	Won – Home	10
Won – Away	18	Won – Away	7
Success % Home	46.51	Success % Home	66.67
Success % Away	33.33	Success % Away	38.89

We were given a paper to solve, we knew the marks per question and we knew what answers would fetch what amount of marks. The formulae were spelled out and all we had to do was to deliver the results. So we did, we did not cheat or copy like Australia did in the 2007 series in Sydney which would’ve been ours. We solved the paper to the best of our knowledge and we scored the top marks.

So now you think the paper and marks system is a farce cause finally an Asian country got to the top and the big daddies of world cricket stand defeated. Isn't it the same system by virtue of which Aus and SA ruled at the top. No system can be foolproof or perfect and will always have its pros and cons. This one was accepted and now we are at the top. The equation is fairly simple isn't it?

Take a hike – all of you. Yeah we are inconsistent, yeah we don’t have a great bowling attack, yeah our batsmen may not fire all the time and yes we will lose the crown cause our stupid board thinks that test cricket is boring with no tests for 10 months in 2010. But yet, we passed with flying colours and proved a point to the world and our stupid board.

Test cricket is where our heart lies and I speak for all those true cricket fans and for the players. This is where the real skill is tested – it’s now time to say Wake Up BCCI. We need more tests to ensure that we prove it was no fluke and we can sustain ourselves at the top.

A big thank you to Jumbo, The Fab Four – Dada, the Wall, the God & Laxman, the Mad-Man, the New Wall - Gambhir, the Speedsters - Zaheer, Ishant, Pathan, Sreesanth, the spinners - Bhajji,Ojha, Mishra, the Fill-in Guys – Karthik and M. Vijay & Captain Cool. To the entire support staff of the team. To Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad. To Mr. Greg Chappell for the turbulence you brought, which helped the team unite against you and prove your crazy proclamations false.

To you Mr. John Wright for showing us the way – for believing in the crazy team when no one did – for instilling that self-belief and finally to you Gary Kirsten, for carrying on the fine legacy of John Wright.

Thank you all for this proud moment– a moment carved in history - one that will be remembered for a long time to come!

The Mad- Man of Indian Cricket

2009-12-03T19:11:00.001+03:00

Sehwag is a phenomenon of his own kind. There was none and there will be none. When he stepped onto the scene comparisons were often drawn between him and the God. He sometimes plays shots similar to Sachin and has still maintained that brazenness and rebellious streak of the Sachin we saw in 90s; but I think the similarities end at that.

Sehwag’s brains work differently – rather abnormally from those of most cricketers. Would you and I who have just about got to playing gully cricket or maybe school or college level cricket , and approaching our personal milestone even in those inconsequential matches; ever think of hitting a six to get to it? I don’t think so and that sets him apart. From the time he has hit the scene, he has kept it simple – if the ball is there to be hit, I will hit it. Let’s keep it that. So whether he is on 99 or 199 or 299 and tomorrow, hopefully he will be on 399 gunning for Lara’s record, it will still not matter to him.

He is one cricketer who has managed to get most fans to be awe-struck and frustrated at the same time. When he is on song there is none other batsman we want to see – heck he even had our attention stolen on his debut in 2001 against SA when the maestro was batting with him on the other end. In that partnership of 220 for the 5th wicket with Sachin, we often felt that we were watching the same guy bat at both ends- only the scoreboard seemed to change the name.

Sehwag is not consistent. Halt before you start gunning me for this. When Sachin and Dravid are on the team, you will get what I mean. You are pretty sure that one of them will get a century in a series, you can’t say the same for this mad man. It’s almost upto him to decide that. He will show some short genius spurts and then get out in the most stupid manner; then he will comeback and turn the pitch into a slaughter house making you feel really sorry for the opposition. Yeah only he can bring that feeling into you, in fact I think he must also be feeling sorry for the condescending attitude he shows to the opposition when he is on a song. Sorry symphony is not what you associate with this man – you associate only murder.

He sets up the match for India every time he decides to go berserk. His innings need not result in a century every time but he ensures that the match has turned in India’s favour and it leaves little for his team-mates to do to seal the win. His innings has not only demoralized the opposition but has also ensured enough inspiration for his team to follow his suit.

If he gets going he gets going big. Of his 17 100s – 12 are over 150 of which 6 are over 200 and of which 2 are triple hundreds and he is on the verge of becoming the first test player ever in the history of the game to crack 3 triple hundreds! None of India’s best batsmen – Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid boast of such huge scores. No I’m not comparing them – I’m just trying to make a point that this man too deserves his place which is unique in Indian Cricket’s hall of fame.

He might’ve got the total runs a grand or two less than he would’ve had he played himself in but that is not Sehwag and then there is no fun watching him. We have the Dravids, Laxmans, Gambhirs and Tendulkars take care of the consistency aspect, let Sehwag just be himself. He did play himself in after an unsteady start in the last match and see what resulted. Gambhir is a great influence on him, they play together in the Delhi team which has helped their rapport immensely at the international level. On Gambhir – the new wall of Indian cricket in another post.

Let Sehwag be the mad-man don’t ask him to change his game-plan. It will not work in 4 innings but it will work in the 5th and that should be enough for us. He does not move his feet, damn it not even when he hits those cover drives or those sixes with a straight bat and leaves me with a WTF expression in my mouth and on my face. So let him continue to do that till he decides to hang his boots. He will never get an expression like what a beauty or what timing or what a delight from us – all that we will keep saying is WTF! Yeah that’s the only expression that can describe this Mad-Man of Indian Cricket. So just let him be.

For there will be none again like him and we will keep reminding ourselves how god damn lucky we are to have had the bloody privilege to witness this Brutal Murderer – A Murderer we are so damn proud of!

In Memory of My Mumbai – My Beloved Bombay

2009-11-30T16:04:00.001+03:00

This blog was quiet on the one day when every other blog was not. Though the first thing that I wanted to do was write – I refrained. It causes me too much pain – to revisit the blood bath of those 3 days, recall the nightmare through the eyes of those who survived and relive the torture that the victims went through.

I’ve personally not come to terms with accepting 26/11 attack and I know I never will. Yes my life did go on normally maybe because I was not among the ones directly affected – I did not lose any loved ones in that attack and I was not present in Mumbai then. But every gory detail I saw on the television set those 3 days, left me a nervous heartbroken person from within. Helpless and hurt – almost a victim; cause in my capacity there was nothing I could have done to help reduce the mayhem caused on that Black Wednesday night in Mumbai. People at least took the streets to join in the candle night vigils and support the ones who sacrificed their lives in this attack – I was simply at home far away from my city and my country – helpless.

I know there are ways that I can help but I wonder how much of help would that be. The perpetrators of the crime are still living scot-free and the one man who is held captive, still awaits a ‘fair trial’ despite millions having seen him live in action on television and at the CST murdering millions. Yes, we are a great democratic country with a fine judiciary system. I cannot change it, nor have I tried to, so I won’t blame it. I’ll just be patient and wait, just as I’m still awaiting those numerous decisions on the bomb blasts that have shaken my city in the last 16 years.

People talk about her undying spirit, her indomitable soul. Earlier she was beaten and she was hurt but last year she was raped. Brutally raped by 10 cruel demons in full view seen by millions and yet none of us could save her. She has got back on her own feet – forgetting the scars. A rape is the worst crime of all and cannot be forgotten – not for the victim and yet my darling city has managed to do that - lift herself up and resume normality yet again. How she has managed to do it, I do not know, but I do hope she knows that we have not forgotten and we will never ever forget.

Every year, every day we remember her and the ones who died saving her. We don’t need an anniversary reminder to remember that pain – it is living within us every single day since it happened.

I pray for the victims and their families that they will someday be able to find the peace they have been longing for and in the effort we all will too.

My beloved Bombay, My Mumbai, you make me proud – for all that you have endured. One day I promise you will be proud of us – for I know we will somehow figure a way out to get our revenge, we will in some way or the other – all your kids will find that way out.

Why is it that…

2009-11-24T20:22:00.002+03:00

Why is it that –

What you expect from a person is not similar to what you will return to the same person
When a person chooses to be silent over issues, you treat it as his acceptance and not defiance
When it comes to family matters you allow only one side to prosecute and the other never to defend
You forget old friendships because you now have new relationships
The very people who hurt you once suddenly become dearer to you than the ones who have never hurt you
You are so self-centred that you expect people to be in touch but you will not reciprocate the same
You can choose so easily and take sides without giving it a second thought as to how your actions will impact the one whose side you chose not to be on
You cannot take delight in seeing your near-dear ones prosper
You are perpetually competing and cannot be content
You put on such a façade especially to the ones who know you inside out
You call yourself a dear one, but are never there when it matters the most

Wishing and Hoping...My Bucket List

2009-11-17T17:38:00.008+03:00

Starry-eyed how can I not take up a 'tag' from you. Her blog is one of my favourites - for her simplicity, straight from the heart talk, for the stuff she has done in her personal and professional life ( I dream of it - someday I hope I can!).

So here goes my bucket list:

To do:

1) Spend the last chapter of my life doing social service for kids – teaching or funding their education. No child deserves to lose the right to his/her education, no matter what the circumstances. If we educate them, we educate our next generation.

2) Build my own library - Books, music and movies. A must have. I’ve laid the first brick of its foundation.

3) Start a nice homely restaurant. A small one – no branches & no expansion. One that serves your simple home made delicacies, the original recipes of my family – grand mom, mom, mom-in-law, sisters and aunts.

4) Retire at 50 in Goa. I want that dream house so badly – a small bunglow by the beach. Spend the rest of the life hassle-free amidst nature with my adorable GUY.

5) Have kids – Yes it is a must in life. That little one changes everything about your life – it is much needed.

6) Adopt – I want one of my own and adopt another. I so do believe in it.

7) Travel – Europe, USA, NZ, Australia, HK, Bali, Maldives, Hawaii, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya. I’ve made plans and cancelled them but I need to visit these places before I retire. The beauty of earth needs to be explored not just watched in photographs

8) Catch a cricket match live @
a. Lord’s – England
b. Sydney Cricket Ground – Australia
c. Johannesburg – South Africa
d. Eden Gardens – Kolkatta, India
e. Chepauk – Chennai, India

9) Start our own venture. Be my own boss and keep my company clear of the “corporate culture”. How, when, what, why – no answers found yet –hence no action taken!

10) Try and learn the maximum I can – Cooking classes, Creative writing, Reiki, Classical Dancing, Salsa, till the day I breathe my last

11) Publish my recipe book - I've inherited it from my granny and mother, I do a good job of it!

12) Own a cricket column in a magazine or newspaper - Wishful thinking I know, but what the heck!

The journey so far:
1) I’ve been a good daughter to my parents – It’s the most satisfying feeling.

2) I take pride in my friendships – The ones I’ve nurtured and built.I’ve been true and loyal to each one and loved each one dearly,I still do.

3) Together with MDH, we both have not let my mom or in-laws struggle again in life – Their smile of content and hearts swelling with pride are priceless and remain my most treasured possessions.

4) Been a good mentor to my younger cousins, nieces and the next gen. I feel proud and happy when they seek my advice; even more when their parents set my example before them. The kiddos hate and love me at the same time:-)

5) Had my cricket articles published on the internet and newspapers, made it through ‘Harsha ki Khoj’ – Small things that maybe inconsequential when compared to achievements of others but, they still make me beam with pride.

6) Did a fair job at my studies and career, made it to the best colleges and to the best companies – Fairly happy about that.

7) Never thought I’d get back to dancing after I quit grad school – I’m proud I gave my first Kathak Performance last month. I gave Bharatnatyam performances on national TV at aged 6 and 9. I was the youngest in my batch then; I still regret the fact that I never pursued dance seriously.

8) Got my Driving License in Dubai a year before MDH got his. Drove him around – played the official chauffer without complaints; he was so proud of me. I still continue to be the official chauffer for my wonderful ‘Girl Gang’ here! Always wanted to own a SUV since I stepped into Dubai. Our first car is my big baby – my mini-dream come true.

9) MDH and I’ve done our small bit in helping a friend achieve his dream. His journey has just begun but every little achievement of his makes us proud – It’s like we are living his dream! I hope one day he will make the world his own.

10) Got a chance to interact with my only idol till date thanks to MDH – I’ve still preserved his mail in my inbox.

11) I've been extremely clear about the principles I’ve been brought up with, no conflicts there ever. I have never compromised on them and I know that sticking to them will pay-off, may be a little late but it will. Ethics come first, everything else follows.

12) My inner strength amazes me every time I’m shaken up. I have realized that I’m bloody strong & independent – that confidence helps me tackle anything and everything that I face in life.

I tag Poonam, Radiance, IHM, Solilo, PinsNAshes, Sujatha,Nita, Vineeta.

P.S: Some amazing bucket lists from some terriffic bloggers I've met recently:

Sands, MiM, Richa, AverageJane

20 random thoughts from 20 years of Sachin

2009-11-16T20:42:00.003+03:00

Loads of tributes were up on the net, television, radio and every possible media yesterday, and it got me wondering if I should chip in my two cents or probably even lesser. I thought I should not, just be a good reader, after all who am I to comment or even write about the Maestro. I’m no cricket journalist nor have I played the game – I’m just a small fan among the millions, that the game and God have.

But Siddhartha Vaidyanathan – one of the finest young cricket writers I’ve seen and met, goes ahead and writes ‘20 random thoughts from 20 years of Sachin’ (He wrote it on FB – Notes - once I figure how to link it up I’ll put it up); temptation enough for me to come out of my small ‘No post on SachinTwenty’ hibernation. With Siddhartha’s due permission to continue the tag – here goes my list of ’20 random things from 20 years of Sachin’.

Forgive the repetition, if any innings mentioned in Siddharth’s post are referenced below. Most Sachin fans will have at least 5-6 common ones. Those were defining moments for us – a generation that grew up with the Fab Five - Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Laxman, Kumble.

1) A short young bloke – all of 18 years of age hammered the Pakistani bowling of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Aaqib Javed and Waqar Younis. Some 50 odd off 40 balls and a partnership with Sanjay Manjrekar. I had just started watching the game, he is one of the reasons why my interest in the game has not faded away.

2) 1992: Sydney –148 * and Perth – 114 Vs Aus. India had a disastrous tour down under. Sachin ensured Warne had a forgettable debut . I woke up early every morning along with Papa, to follow his innings live on the radio. I still have the recordings of the highlights. Sachin, according to my mum managed to do the impossible – wake me up in a jiffy without an alarm and her yelling. That mesmerising innings of 114 tops my list of his best knocks. I cannot forget it, that image of him, all of 5ft4in. standing tall and hitting straight drives off the likes of Merv Hughes and McDermott, will never fade away from my memory.

3) His disappointed face after getting out at 88 in Napier in 1990. He was only 16 then. I saw the recording later – I did not know to react! Heck most guys don’t even know what to do in life at that age – and this bloke understood the importance of a 100 in a test match.

4) 59 in his second test against Pak in Pakistan after a bloodbath! Guts, determination, rock solid concentration, man of steel. The nation knew a star was born, the kid knew he had passed the acid test. Still have the newspaper cuttings.

5) 1992-93 tour Vs SA – What I remember is he was given out in one of the ODIs when he was batting well on 20 odd. I cannot recollect the match or the umpire – he was given out caught when he had not edged or gloved the ball. I saw a small tear in the eye of a 19 year old then. The only time I think he reacted as a teenager.

6) I had seen him play live at the stadium before but this one was special. I had bunked school and gone to see him bat. On a dreadful Wankhede pitch, he played a gem of an innings of 85 against the WI in 1994. He showed why he is a class apart. His knock and partnership with Manjrekar – inspired Srinath to play havoc with the bat and ball later.

7) 1994 Vs NZ. The Kamikaze Kid -he was called after that innings hit NZ real hard. 82 of 49 balls which changed the way India approached opening batting in ODIs. I’m glad I was wide wake- I’m glad Papa had the VCR on. I watched that knock a million times later. And again when he got out , he had the regret of not getting the century. That hunger for runs is still alive – 20 years on.

8) Wankhede is the only place where they cheer the fall of Indian wicket; that is until Sachin arrives to bat. They are a fair crowd appreciating a good game, but they are only human and they are hugely flawed when it comes to Mumbai's favourite son.

9) As Siddhartha mentioned in his post – Gods had descended on the cricket field in Cape Town 1996-97 SA tour. Azhar and Sachin had murdered the SA attack in the most delicate manner one could visualize. The array and beauty of the stroked played that afternoon will remain unparalleled for a long time. Adam Bacher pulled a stunner out of mid-air. and Sachin did not move for 2 whole minutes. He was the last to get off the ground – stunned by the catch and not able to believe that his dream run was foiled at 169.

10) 1993 – Hero Cup Semi-final Vs SA. I need not say more – that last over he bowled. His eagerness to come on to bowl when SA needed 6 runs and people call him a choker. Blah!

11) 1998 Vs Australia – Chennai. He hit a first ball 4 of Warne and was out the same over. He was in crackling form and he messed up – the anger showed. The brunt was borne by Aus in the 2nd innings – that 155* will make to any best innings list in the world

12) 1998 Vs Australia – Sharjah. 1998 was his year – his year of complete dominance in world cricket and over Australia. No player has as many runs and centuries as he does against the Big Daddy of international cricket. A reason why he is so loved and revered Down Under. I rate his innings in the league match much higher than the one in the final. India came out to bat needing 8 per over to qualify, after the sandstorm break. Aussies would’ve preferred to have been hit by the sandstorm than the Sachinstorm that hit them later. Again given out erroneously – he wasn’t looking to qualify he was looking to win!

13) 1999 Vs Aus. LBW or HBW ( Hand before wicket). That whole dismissal is replayed a million times in my mind and even after a decade I cannot fathom how weird it was. I hated Daryl Harper for that!

14) 1999 Vs Pak, Chennai – 136. We were in our college following the match on the radio. Cheering and shouting every time he got a run. My heart skipped a beat when he got out and I almost died when we lost the match. I came home mouthing all possible abuses the guys had taught me against those 10 buggers who could not get the balance 49.82% of the victory target. I came home and cried – the only time I recollect doing that after India’s defeat. I know Sachin too cried after that defeat. He proved why he was ‘GOD’ in cricket and a mere mortal like us at the same time.

15) 1999 WC Vs Kenya–England. Grit, courage, determination, concentration, patriot, team player, awesome role model, obedient son. That one moment defined all of that for me in him - Sachin kissed his helmet, looked up and waited a moment, then wiped his eyes and got onto his business of decimating the Kenyan attack. Of all the centuries against all the best attacks – this one is my sentimental favourite. It’s not easy to deal with the loss of a parent and get on with your work in a matter of days. I’ve been through it so I know – not comparable to his feat but I could relate to his psyche then.

16) 2001 Vs Australia – Kolkatta. You cannot keep him away from contributing to famous wins. His 3 wickets in the second innings were as valuable as Laxman and Dravid’s knocks! His delight after getting Warne out to a googly was as innocent as a child getting his favourite chocolate. Sachin remains that little innocent 16 year old still at heart.

17) 2003 WC – 98 Vs Pak. Phenomenal. He slaughtered and butchered the Pakistani bowling and along with what was left of their confidence. He made them mere spectators as he unleashed terror all around. I loved his comment at the presentation – never seen him rub salt on opposition’s wounds so hard – “Well they are yet to beat us in a World Cup”. How true!!

18) His run of 90s in ODIs in 2007 – He would’ve amassed 50 centuries by now had he converted those 6 ( 2 each against Pak,SA, and Eng). I’m not getting any young to handle these heartbreaks, I told my husband then.

19) 103* Vs England , Dec 2008. Following close after the worst terrorist attack on Mumbai – Sachin, Sehwag and the rest gave the country and Mumbaikars a reason to smile. It did not wipe out the scars but it did lift the spirits of millions a little, just a little, but it did. Dilip Premchandran summed it up for us -

“Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land. And in these times of distress and anger, it was so very appropriate that it would be Tendulkar who put the smiles back on at least a few faces.”

20) His recent 175. Almost, almost there again. Sigh! Heartbreaking and scintillating at the same time. Brought back memories of his old knocks – Vs NZ 82 of 49 and Sharjah ‘98 Vs Aus.

Sachin has given us more than 20 reasons to smile and cry in the last 20 years – it’s difficult to sum up only 20.

My favourite tributes here – Harsha Bhogle, Peter Roebuck, Dilip Premchandran and The Great Bong.

My favourite quotes to end this tribute:

“I’ve seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India” – Mathew Hayden

“Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives” - BBC Sports